Reading is Sexy
by musicmagic7
Summary: "Reading is sexy, Draco." Hermione said. "Prove it," He replied. This is the story of how Hermione Granger proved to Draco Malfoy that Reading is Sexy, and how they fell in love in the process.
1. Prologue: Always Remember

Disclamer: Oh yesssh, i wish i owned Harry Potter, but i dont... :(

Prologue for 'Reading is Sexy' a Draco/Hermione fic:

Hermione Granger sat in the back seat of her mother's car. She was just 10 years old at the time, and had little knowledge about boys and what made them 'tick.' Her hair was almost as bushy as it would be a year later, when she would receive her letter to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Hermione had always felt special, like there was somewhere else out there for her. Somewhere she truly belonged...

Hermione had her favorite book on her lap. She had read it many times before, and yet, every time she did, she enjoyed it all the more. She smiled to herself as she reached her favorite chapter in the story.

Hermione's mother turned on to the A-1 and soon fell behind the afternoon traffic rush. She turned on the radio, and switched the dial to her favorite news station. As the car in front of her began to move again, a car passed by quickly on the right side of her car. She glanced at the bumper, and was struck by the presence of a sticker.

It had the dark silhouette of a slim woman with long hair, leaning back on her free arm with her legs crossed. In her other hand was a book. "Reading is sexy" it said.

Hermione's mother chuckled. Here was this sticker, on the car to her left, and behind her, her daughter was reading a book. Of course, Hermione was only ten, and so her mother was glad she wasn't _sexy,_ but she knew her daughter didn't believe she was beautiful. Hermione _was _beautiful; she just didn't know it yet. Perhaps...

"What is it?" Hermione asked. "What's so funny?"

Hermione's mother smiled into her rear view mirror and caught Hermione's eye.

"Nothing," she replied. But then she added, "Just... always remember Hermione. Reading is sexy."

Hermione frowned in confusion, but shrugged it off.

"O...K." she promised, unaware of how her mother's word would change her life in the future.


	2. Reading Is Sexy?

Reading is Sexy

A Draco/Hermione Fic

"What say you, Draco" said Blaise Zabini. Draco opened his eyes, and gave Blaise an annoyed, questioning look. He was lying on his 4 poster, and the boys were holding court on the floor

"What were you talking about?" Draco asked, for he hadn't been paying any attention to the conversation being held by the other boys in his dormitory

"We were talking about _girls" _Blaise replied.

"Ah," Draco said, yawning. "I should've known."

"Well? Who?"

"Who what?" asked Draco, honestly puzzled.

Crabbe rolled his eyes. "Who would you rather shag? Ginny Weasley, or the Mudblood Granger."

Malfoy stared at the other boys. He shook his head, stood up, and left the room.

"Bloody Idiots," he muttered, as he descended the short flight of stairs which led to the common room. He crossed towards the door quickly, trying to avoid conversation. He failed: Pansy Parkinson snuck up behind him, and put her fat palms over his eyes. Draco sighed, and struggled to get away from her, but she managed to turn him around and force her small, overbearing lips on his.

He pushed her away as she tried to force his mouth open and then he took off, sprinting through the silver double doors guarding the Slytherin Common Room. He headed towards the Library, a place where he spent much of his time now that he was back at Hogwarts. It was the only place people left him alone, where he could sleep, or think, in peace.

He slowed down when he reached the Library, for there was no sight of Blaise or Pansy behind him.

He grinned to himself as he passed under the arch at the entrance of his favorite place, and paced past rows and rows of bookshelves looking for the table his always sat at.

He started once he reached it, and skidded to a stop.

In _his _corner, at _his _table, in _his _chair, sat Hermione Granger, the last person he would have chosen to see.

"_Fuck," _he muttered, growing red and angry.

Hermione hadn't seen him yet, and so he tried to turn around without making a sound, but he bumped into a bookshelf in his anger.

Hermione looked up from her book, and frowned.

"I'm not going to move," she said, looking down at her book again.

Draco, facing away from her, rolled up and down on the balls of his feet. He grimaced and turned around.

"This is my spot, Granger," he said, smirking

Hermione didn't look at him. She just shook her head and smirked back.

This made him angry again, well, it made him angrier. He practically pounced on the table, pounding his fists on its hard surface.

"_Move Mudblood," _he shouted.

Numerous students looked up from their work, and stared at the pair of them, transfixed.

Hermione sighed, and stretched her legs out on the workbench, smirking to herself.

"Give it up, Granger. I could over power you without my hands."

"I don't think your hands are the problem, Malfoy. I think it's your brain."

"Ha ha," he said, pronouncing each word slowly and deliberately. "Nice comeback."

Hermione just shrugged and continued her reading.

Spluttering, Draco sat down across from her, and propped his feet up on the table. It would do no good to hex her now, when witches and wizards were finally forgetting their meaning for the name _Malfoy. _

Hermione looked up at him, shook her head, and looked down again. Then she spoke.

"What are you doing here, Malfoy?" she asked.

"Why do you care?" he retorted.

"Touché," Hermione muttered, and kept on reading.

Draco told her anyway, though he wasn't sure why. Maybe because she was someone he could have an intelligent conversation with, or maybe because he was waiting for an opportunity to strike her with another witty insult.

_Definitely the second reason, _he thought to himself.

"This is the only place I can think," he said, surprised he was telling her the truth.

"I'm bloody sick of listening to Blaise and the others play, _Who Would You Rather, _in our dormitory. And I'm sick of avoiding forced kisses from Pansy." He rolled his eyes so far up, that Hermione was sure they would pop out of his skull.

She laughed. "Sounds… interesting." She said, causing Draco to grimace.

Then Hermione became serious. She stared his straight in the eye and said, "Why don't you just tell Pansy to bugger off?"

"I have t-," Draco began, but then he realized this was absurd. "Why do you care, Granger?" he said.

Hermione looked up from her book, yet again, and sighed. "Just trying to help," she said. "You know, I'm over the war and all of our stupid prejudices. Voldemort's dead, and so are his ideas, so you might as well stop calling me Mudblood, because it doesn't have any effect on me any longer. I'm not going to let anyone push me around anymore."

Draco raised his eyebrows at her. He thought about it for a moment then shrugged. "All right," he said. "Stop calling me Malfoy. It has a bad meaning to it now days."

Now Hermione had reason to raise her eyebrows. "What am I supposed to call you then?" she asked.

"Well, its obvious isn't it? Call me Draco." He winked at her.

Hermione shook her head and stood up to leave. "I'm not going to call you by your first name, until you call me by mine."

Then she turned to leave. Suddenly, Draco felt that he urgently wanted her to stay. He didn't know why and he knew it would keep him awake for hours later, but he caught her wrist.

"Hermione… stay."

She turned around surprised, and laughed.

"Well, well," she said, sticking her hand out to shake his. He stared at it for a moment, puzzled, but then he shook hers.

They stood there awkwardly for a moment, but then Hermione turned and sat down, Draco following her to the table.

They stared at each other for a moment, and then Hermione said, "This feels weird."

Draco felt kind of angry at her comment but realized she was just trying to be honest, and that he felt the same way.

He laughed and nodded. "I agree," he said. Hermione smiled at him, and then turned her attention to her book once more.

After a minute of silence, Draco couldn't take it any longer. "Can I ask you a question?" he wondered aloud.

Hermione looked at him, taken aback, pleased too. "I don't see why not," she said.

"Don't you have anything better to do than read," he asked her, smirking.

Hermione frowned. "Of course," she said. "I honestly fell for it. Why would _Draco Malfoy _ever be kind to me?"

Draco was surprised at her answer. Defense rose in him again, and just like before, he didn't know why he cared.

"I'm not trying to insult you," he said. "I just honestly want to know why you're reading on a Thursday night in the library, all alone."

"What's wrong with reading, Draco?" she asked, curiously. "We are in a _library, _are we not?" she said.

Draco told her yes, they were, but he still wondered.

"But… why? Don't you have essays to write and Gryffindors to talk with? Or do you just like being non- sociable?"

Hermione frowned again. "I'll ask again," she said. "What's wrong with reading?"

Draco decided he should explain. "Well, for one thing, most normal teenagers would rather be talking with other people or walking by the lake or… you know…" He trailed off.

"Haven't you ever read for fun?" she asked him.

"Once or twice," he replied, not quite so honestly.

She raised her eyebrows at him, and he blushed.

She laughed, and then she remembered something her mother had said to her, many years ago. "Reading is sexy, Draco."

This took him off guard. He spluttered a "what?" and then regained his composure.

"Reading is… Sexy?" he repeated, his confusion turning his sentence into a question.

Hermione nodded, and Draco, without thinking, leaned across the table, and whispered, "Prove it."

Then, completely surprised by how close he found his lips to hers, he slowly stood, and made his way

out of the library, shivering with an electric intensity.

Hermione sat in Draco's corner of the library, wondering what in the name of Merlin had just happened,

and why it left her so confused, yet blissfully happy.


	3. Every Girl Can Wear Heels

Hermione sat in Draco's spot at the library for quite a while, thoroughly confused at the pounding of her heart and the way her lips were quivering.

"_Bloody hell," _she whispered, her insides tumbling. Then she thought to herself, _Wow, Ronald sure has rubbed off on me. _She smiled at her inside joke, and tried to pretend that she was behaving normally and that everything was A-OK.

_But it wasn't, _she told herself as she made her way to the Gryffindor Common Room.

_Draco Malfoy had been so close to her lips, and she had wanted him to come closer, to kiss her. That was _not normal.

Her heart continued to pound, and having been replaying their conversation in the back of her mind, she was struck by the meaning of something Malfoy, no, he was _Draco_ now_, _has said.

"_Prove it."_

Those two simple words meant everything to Hermione. They, she knew, had a secret meaning to them, one that set her heart pounding even faster.

"Ginny," she said, outloud, for she knew she had to talk to the firey red-head. Ginny would be able to analyze Draco's words, his actions, and even his body-language. She was like an Auror but not for dark wizards: just for boys.

Teenage boys, who happened to have a knack for driving Hermione up a wall, something Ginny liked to point out. She always told Hermione, "You have to be yourself, and talk to them like you would any other person. Otherwise, you'll seem unnatural."

Hermione was awoken from her confusing train of thought, when she reached the Portrait Hole and found Neville pacing.

"Hey, Neville," she said. "Did you forget the password again?

He frowned and nodded, to which Hermione laughed, though she was still troubled.

"It's "Whomping Willow"," she reminded him then he followed her through the doorway.

"See you later," she called, not looking back at him as she sprinted up the stairs to the girls dormitory. When she reached Ginny's dormitory, she threw the door open and ran inside, but she didn't see Ginny.

"Shoot," she said, and she sprinted back down the stairs to wait for Ginny in the common room.

Once she sat in her usual chair by the fire, Hermione realized she had left her book in the Library. She was standing up to go back and get it, when Ginny entered the common room, giggling, and pulling Harry behind her. Both of their hair was rifled, and Ginny has a large, round, red mark on her collar bone.

Ginny halted to a stop, as did Harry, and they both had guilty looks written all over their faces. Harry coughed awkwardly and Hermione burst in to laughter, even though the situation wasn't all that funny.

"Well," she said. "Don't just stand there like that. Ron will be back soon."

This made Ginny laugh and eventually Harry joined and the awkward silence went away.

"Er… Ginny, can we go talk?" Hermione asked to which Harry rolled his eyes and sat down on the couch. Ginny laughed and place d a hungry, playful kiss on his lips, to which he tried to keep her from leaving, but Hermione dragged Ginny up the stairs.

Hermione shut the door quietly behind her, and whispered "Muffliato," while pointing her wand at the door.

Then she turned around, and saw Ginny on sitting in her bed.

She sighed and sat down next to her.

Ginny, having been _with _Harry all afternoon, was very happy, as far as Hermione could tell.

"So, what's this all about?" Ginny asked .

Hermione then proceeded to recount everything that had happened not even an hour later in the library, how she felt about it, and ended with, "I don't know _why_ Ginny, but I _have to prove it to him. He has to admit that reading is sexy." _

Ginny nodded, and twiddled her thumbs over her knees, thinking. The two of them were silent for a moment, but then Hermione had to know, "What are you thinking?"

Ginny smirked. "Well," she said. Then we'll just have to prove it. Okay, Hermione. Let's start with your clothes."

She dragged Hermione's trunk out from under the bed, and began to rifle through her clothing, throwing items she found unsuitable in a pile on her right, and placing clothes she liked carefully on the bed.

In the end, there was an endless pile on the floor, and all that was left on the bed was a couple of blue and purple blouses, two grey skirts, and a pair of tight jeans which Hermione had never even worn. She grimaced, saying, "Ginny, what am I going to wear? There's enough for two days here?"

Ginny only laughed. "That's plenty," she said. "Tomorrow is Friday and Saturday we're going to Hogsmeade, so we'll go shopping."

Hermione groaned, and sat back down on the bed, putting her head in her hands.

"I can't pull this off," she said. "I'm not sexy."

"Hermione Jean Granger," Ginny said, "Cut out that attitude! Do you think I was snogging Harry in that broom cupboard earlier because I told myself, _I am _not _sexy!? NO! _I was assertive, and flirty, and outgoing. I talk and I throw my hair around and I'm not afraid to be who I am! And when you do the same, you'll be sexy too!"

Ginny ended by flipping her hair wildly, and shaking her hips. Hermione laughed and nodded, though she still had a little doubt in the back of her mind.

Ginny then took her hand, and dragged her down one floor to her dorm, went into the bathroom, and grabbed her make-up bag. She then proceeded to dump its contents onto her bed, and searched for something. She handed Hermione a tube of mascara, eyeliner, a container of eye shadow, and a dark red lipstick.

When Hermione sighed, Ginny gave her a look and said, "Do you want to prove it or not?"

Hermione nodded adamantly and smiled wanely.

Ginny shook her head and smirked to herself as she reached under her bed for a pair of shoes. She put them lightly into Hermione's hands.

They were heels: dark purple with thin straps winding their way around where Hermione's ankle would go tying with a silver hook. They were shiny and glinted in the dim light of Ginny's dorm.

Hermione couldn't help but frown. "I can't walk in these," she said.

"Of course you can," Ginny said. "Every girl can walk in heels. Put them on."

Hermione sat on the floor and rolled up the cuffs of her jeans. She slipped her foot into the shoe and struggled with the ties. She sighed, and pulled out her wand, which she pointed at the shoes and they tied themselves. She put on the other shoe, and using Ginny's bedpost to steady her, she stood up.

Ginny pointed to a floor length mirror across the room, and Hermione walked as slowly as possible over to it. She stumbled a little, but she didn't fall over, which to her was an accomplishment.

She looked at her feet in the mirror and had to admit they looked slim and feminine in the heels.

Ginny nodded approvingly as Hermione traipsed around the room in her new shoes, and eventually she could walk across the whole room, and up a flight of stairs without stumbling.

Ginny laughed as Hermione did a graceful twirl on the carpet before grabbing a scarf off a table and twirling it flirtatiously above her head.

"You'll be great, Hermione" Ginny said.

And Hermione couldn't help but agree with her.

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	4. Pinned Against the Wall

Chapter 3:

After Ginny spent an hour showing Hermione how to properly apply mascara, Hermione placed her new supplies carefully in her trunk, and then headed down the stairs, out the portrait hole, down 3 flights of stairs, and into the library, where she went to grab her book.

It was her favorite book of all time, and she knew that she could not play with Draco without it. She had lost count of how many times she had read it.

Hermione sighed in content when she found that Draco had not gone back to his spot in the library. She knew she wasn't ready to face him yet.

She made her way slowly back up to the Common Room, practicing the confident, airy walk Ginny had shown her not long before.

When she opened the door to the common room, she found it empty and realized that Dinner in the Great Hall had all ready started. She sighed, ran up to her room and put away her book, then ran back downstairs and jogged to the Great Hall.

When she got there, Professor McGonagall was in the middle of a speech, as she was the new Headmaster of Hogwarts. Hermione tried to sneak to a seat without anyone noticing, but she heard several Slytherins snickering as she made her way to her table, crouched down low. When Hermione sat down she looked over at the Slytherin table and saw that Draco was staring at her.

Hermione blushed and turned around, an action which Ginny did not miss.

She winked at Hermione, and Harry gave her a quizzical look but she just shrugged and turned back to McGonagall. Harry turned to give Hermione his quizzical look but she pretended to be clueless.

McGonagall finished her speech and Ron turned to Hermione. "Where were you?" he asked.

"In the library," she said. "I left my book there."

"Oh," he said, and then he continued to stuff food into his mouth, at a rapid pace.

Hermione laughed and Ginny rolled her eyes, and Harry just kept eating. For some reason, the 4 of them were feeling very awkward at the moment, and Hermione didn't like it.

"So…" she said. "What are we all doing in Hogsmeade?"

Ron said, "We 'ave to 'o to that 'ew Quidittch sto'."

Harry shook his head. "Ginny and I are going to The Three Broomsticks, aren't we Gin?"

Ginny grimaced. "Right, well I have to talk to you about that. You see, Hermione and I are going shopping."

Ron choked on a large bite of chicken and Harry laughed.

"You're funny, Gin," he said, kissing her cheek and earning a glare from Ron.

"I'm serious," she said, honestly puzzled.

Then Ron laughed. "Shopping?" he said, swallowing a last bit of food. "Since when does Hermione shop, or even care about girl stuff? I mean, come on…"

Then he proceeded to stuff his face again, and Hermione turned red.

"Well, Ronald, I happen to care about what I look like, even if it doesn't look to you like I try! I may not be vain but I am a _girl, _and so Ginny and I are going shopping!"

She grabbed a roll off the table, and jumped up from her seat, storming out of the Great Hall, and rushing up the corridor.

When she reached her Dorm she sank into her 4-Poster bed, and screamed into a pillow.

Then she took deep breaths, propped herself up on the pillows, and began to read, angrily eating the remains of her roll.

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Hermione woke with a start, sunlight streaming onto her pillow and making her slightly dizzy. Her book lay on her stomach and she realized that she fell asleep reading the night before.

Then she looked at her clock.

Hermione shrieked. It was 9:07 and she was already late for her first class.

Forgetting completely about the events that occurred yesterday, Hermione threw on a pair of baggy jeans, a grey turtle neck, and a pair of old, brown boots. She slipped her robe on, brushed her teeth lightning fast, and grabbed her books.

With one quick brush through her hair with her comb, Hermione was down the stairs and sprinting to Potions.

She bounded down the steps to the dungeon, and then, as her memory of the day before and the realization of who was in her Potions class flooded to her, she muttered, _"Shit."_

Hermione opened the door to the classroom, and slipped into her seat beside Ron as inconspicuously as possible, forgetting how mad she was at him.

Professor Slughorn nodded in her direction, and continued with his lecture.

Then Ron slipped her a note.

'_What happened?' _it read.

Hermione sighed and scribbled a reply.

'_Overslept,' _she wrote.

Ron nodded but didn't write anything else, and Hermione's jaw dropped as he turned and focused all of his attention on the lecture.

Since she had come in late, Hermione had no idea what Slughorn was talking about, so she sighed and drummed her fingers on her desk.

The thirty minutes left in class past quickly, and Hermione, because she was so nervous, missed Draco's eyes on her back, all class long. However, this didn't escape Harry's notice and near the end of class he threw a note on her table while Slughorn wasn't looking.

Hermione shook her head in boredom and un-crumpled the note.

'_Why is Malfoy staring at you?'_ it read in Harry's small yet untidy script.

Hermione shrugged dramatically instead of answering, for she didn't want Slughorn to notice and read their note aloud to the class. She knew Harry would see her shrug and if she turned around he would see the lie in her eyes. Draco was probably waiting for her to strip off her clothes, pull out a book, and blow kisses to him at any moment.

_But I woke up too late, _Hermione thought bitterly, _and I'd never be able to pull that off._

Just then the bell rang and Hermione bolted out of her seat, for the first time in her life realizing she hadn't written a thing down.

************************************************

The rest of Hermione's day passed uneventfully, though Ginny had pouted when she showed up at lunch in her plain clothes and Harry kept staring at her as if he expected her to burst out in tears at any moment. Ron, however, being Ron, noticed nothing, and stuffed his face as if he would never eat again.

Then, after her last class, while Hermione was making her way up to Gryffindor Tower, she found herself alone in a dark corridor.

Hermione thought nothing of it, and continued on her way, but suddenly, out of nowhere, Malfoy was in the hall. Hermione kept her gaze away from him, then stopped and pretended to be looking for something in her bag, but Draco wasn't fooled.

He had her pinned against the wall in a flash, though his grip wasn't harsh and his breath was warm. It tickled her face and she breathed in the smell of peppermint, wishing to stay there for all time.

Then he seductively whispered in her ear, "You haven't proven anything to me today, Hermione. I hope… tomorrow will be different."

Then he was gone, and Hermione closed her eyes, slumped onto the floor and rested her back against the wall.

Her heart pounding, Hermione slowly opened her eyes, telling herself to be calm. She put a hand to her heart, and said, "Get a _grip _on yourself, Hermione." She felt like a complete idiot talking to herself, but it felt good to get it out in the open. "It's Draco Malfoy. _Malfoy! _I'm going to prove to him that reading is sexy, and then, after graduation, we will go our separate ways and never see each other again."

She stood up, composed herself, and continued on to her destination, heart still pounding.

But her mind was made up. She wouldn't back down.

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	5. Anything But Tall and Lean

Reading is Sexy: Chapter 4: Anything But Tall and Lean

Draco walked down the lane to Hogsmeade, carefully avoiding the puddles of mud that the rain had left behind. "Malfoy's don't get mud on their robes," he muttered darkly, shaking dirt off his shoes. Then he shook his platinum-blonde hair and continued down the road.

He reached The Three Broomsticks, and pulled open the door. He made his way to the bar, sat down, and ordered a fire whiskey.

He was jumpy, and he wouldn't admit to himself why: He knew it was Hermione.

She was all he had thought about since Thursday. She was in all of his thoughts, and he constantly looked for her wherever he went.

Blaise had half-guessed what was wrong with him. The night before, at dinner, he had said, "I know! It's a girl! _That's why you're so jumpy!_

Draco had frowned, shaken his head, and stood up, departing the Great Hall as quickly as possible. Now that he thought about, his actions would probably only reinforce Blaise's theory, but he didn't really care. The fire whiskey made his brain fuzzy, and sent his thoughts fluttering away. Soon he couldn't focus on anything for longer than a few seconds. Then he fell quickly asleep.

********************************************

Draco awoke what couldn't have been much longer by the Bar Tender shaking him awake. "You can't come in here and just _sleep," _he told him.

Draco shook his hair out of his eyes, paid for his drink and headed out the door, deciding to go back to Hogwarts. He had just sat down on the stairs to rest, when he saw a tall, lean figure laden with shopping bags in the distance.

He leaned back nonchalantly, placing his elbows on the stair above where he was sitting, and thought to himself, _Well, it's not Hermione, because she's anything but tall and lean, and she doesn't shop. _

He smirked to himself, hoping that she was going as crazy about him as he was about her.

He gave a start when the figure appeared across the courtyard from him.

It was her.

She was wearing tight, dark blue jeans, and a purple blouse, which was hardly buttoned and showed off her chest. She teetered on dark, shiny purple heels, trying to avoid the mud as he had before while juggling 11 (Draco counted them quickly) shopping bags full to the brim.

"Bloody…" he said, for he couldn't finish his sentence: His breath had caught in his throat, and he stared at her, for she had stopped walking, catching her breath and eyeing him warily.

Draco knew he had to act calm, though his heart was pounding and his conceited mind was screaming, _she's a _Mudblood! _Let it go! _

But he walked towards her anyway, placing his signature smirk carefully upon his handsome features, and shoving his hands into his large pockets.

Hermione stood there, not far from him now, smirking in her own way. Draco sniggered, and ended up right in front of her.

"Hello," he said quietly, and now that he was up close to her, he saw how she had changed.

Her lips were full, and bright, bright red. Her hair was calmer than usual, curls falling lightly around her round face. Her brown orbs sparkled and he could tell she had covered her eyelashes in mascara. He felt himself sink into her eyes, and had to pinch himself, literally, back to life.

"Hello," she said, taking a few weary steps forward, as if to sneak away. Draco followed right along.

"Can I help you with those?" he asked, reaching for her shopping bags.

Hermione nodded, and gave him half of her load, continuing to stumble along, and as she reached the stairs, she sighed before she proceeded.

Draco laughed, and Hermione avoided his gaze. He tapped her shoulder. "You can look at me, Hermione," he said. She blushed but didn't turn away.

"So, how was your, uh… shopping?" he asked, gesturing to her bags.

"Just fine," Hermione said. "I think I bought a little too much though," she said, smiling at him.

Draco couldn't help but smile, and regretted the action immediately. Hermione giggled and rolled her eyes to the stairs, knowingly.

They walked in silence for a little while, but then Draco realized he had passed the corridor to his Dormitory. He grabbed Hermione by the wrist to stop her, and said, "Sorry, but I have to go. Can you handle these?" He put her bags on the floor by her feet.

She nodded and smiled wanly at him. Then, with a flick of her wand, she caused her bags to levitate. She headed up the staircase, subtly shaking her hips each step of the way.

Draco couldn't contain himself. He wolf whistled to her, and she turned around.

For a moment he thought she would blush and make a comment, but instead, she winked at him and blew him a kiss. Then she continued on her way, her bags floating quietly behind her.

"_Bloody Sexy," _Draco whispered, and then he turned around and went on his way.

He whistled a waltz quietly to himself, and imagined what her lips would feel like on his.

Then he skidded to a halt.

_Bloody hell,_ he thought. _She's already winning! I _can't _let her win! _He leaned against a nearby wall and then angled his head toward it. Softly, so as not to hurt himself but to make a point to his silly heart, he pounded his head against the stone, muttering curses under his breath.

Then someone spoke: "Draco? What's wrong, honey?"

_Pansy, _Draco thought and he resisted the urge to curse again.

"Nothing," he said, turning around to face her.

"Well then," she said, and she walked towards him slowly, put a hand on either side of his head. She leaned down to kiss him, and Draco slipped under her arm, barely escaping.

Hoping to God she would let it go, he walked away slowly, preparing for an outburst.

But it never came.

When he reached his 4-Poster, he lay down and pulled the curtains tight, so that no light got in. He put a pillow over his head, as if trying to smother all thoughts of Hermione Granger from existence.

He didn't succeed.

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So what'd you think?? This was kind of a boring and slow chapter, which I am sorry for, but it's the last chapter before Hermione begins to really prove to Draco that READING IS SEXY!!

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	6. Aristocratic Features

Chapter 5:

Hermione stood before the mirror. She put on a last coat of mascara, and then she stared. She still couldn't get used to her reflection, even though she'd been wearing makeup since Saturday. She felt like the girl she saw in the mirror had always been there, just hidden beneath the surface.

She couldn't get used to the way her skin seemed to glow now, how her brown eyes stood out, and men passing in Hogsmeade had stared at her. And every time she remembered how Draco had whistled at her, she had to remind herself that it hadn't been a dream, and that she was _sexy. _

She knew Draco knew it, but she also knew she had to keep up her act, for he had to admit it.

Ginny, when Hermione had complained while shopping, had pointed to the short, pink skirt Hermione had been trying on at the time, and said, "Hermione, you in that skirt, are the definition of sexy, and you, every minute of every day are the definition of reading. All you have to do is know it."

And now, looking in the mirror, Hermione had to agree with Ginny.

Then she strapped on the blue kitten heels she had purchased on Saturday, and ran a manicured hand( or so it looked, for they were actually fake nails) over her perfectly shaved legs.

She was wearing the pink skirt today, and it had blue stitching on it which was why she wore the blue heels. Her top was white, and sleeveless, with pearl buttons extending down the front. Hermione spared one more look in the mirror, applied some more red lipstick, and winked at her reflection.

Glancing rakishly at the pile of clothing on her bed, (needless to say, she had bought way too much on Saturday) Hermione threw her new sparkly bag over her shoulder and hopped down the stairs. These heels were much easier to walk in then Ginny's.

"Woah," Ron said as he saw her crossing the room, but Hermione ignored him. She was still mad about Saturday, when Ron had complained about her shopping again.

"Bloody hell," he had said, when she and Ginny had met him and Harry at the Three Broomsticks. He was staring at the numerous, large shopping bags Hermione was carrying. Ginny had ignored him and given Harry a rather wet kiss, to which he had grinned about all afternoon.

They had sat down and held small talk for not long, before Ron had to bring it up again.

"I don't get it, 'Mione," he'd said. The nickname alone had irked her but she almost let it go until he said, "Who are you trying to be? Lavender Brown."

Without a second glance, Hermione had stormed out of the restaurant, and made her way back to Hogwarts. Of course, then she had seen Malfoy, and forgotten all about her red haired friend.

Hermione paused before she entered the Great Hall, for she was worried about what gossip might start because of her new look. But then she reminded herself of why she was doing this, and smiled flirtatiously like Ginny had taught her. She was, after all, a very quick study.

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The day passed faster than Hermione expected it too. She had been disappointed when she realized that Draco wasn't in any of her classes that day, for she was confident she could face him. However, she knew fate would bring them closer somehow.

Ginny was already preparing for future 'attacks', as she called them, on Draco. She had prepared a list of places for Hermione to read and act sexy in at the same time. It read:

Ginny's list of Sexy Places:

The Black Lake

The Quidittch Pitch/ Stands

The Prefects Bathroom

Stairs Near a Broom Closet

Hermione had pointed out that Draco wasn't always going to be exactly where she happened to be reading, but Ginny had winked at her and said, "Don't worry, I have it all figured out."

Hermione couldn't help but be a little anxious as to what lengths Ginny would go to in order to make this work.

But she forgot all about this, after she ran into Ginny in the Common Room.

"What are you doing, Hermione?" Ginny shouted. "You're supposed to be at the Lake, tricking Malfoy! Get your butt down there!"

Hermione sighed, made sure her book was in her bag, then headed straight out of Gryffindor Tower.

She made her way slowly towards the lake, wondering what Ginny had pulled off to get Draco to be there.

She took a deep breath before stepping out onto the Hogwarts grounds, and looked sneakily for any sight of blonde, blonde hair in the distance.

She made her way to her favorite beech tree, and swung her hips. Draco could be watching her from somewhere.

She nonchalantly dropped her bag in the grass, after grabbing her book, and slowly slipping her feet out of her heels, without bending down to untie them.

She sat underneath her tree, and leaned against its smooth bark. Crossing her legs like Ginny had taught her, she opened to her spot in her book. Hermione tried to read, and act natural, but she was looking for Draco through her lashes.

She smirked when she saw him across the Lawn, staring at her. "Ginny, Ginny, Ginny…" she mumbled in amazement. There was nothing that girl couldn't do.

Hermione continued to _try _to read, but all she could think about was Draco, who was still not far from where she read.

Then she had a burst of inspiration.

Hermione left her tree, and walked forward in the grass, once again swinging her hips slowly.

She saw Draco shift in amusement out of the corner of her eye and she giggled, which was not like her.

Then she stretched her arms above her head, making sure that her shirt rose above her hips, revealing the soft skin around her hips.

After that she laid down in the grass, holding her book over her head. She crossed her legs again, and took deliberately deep breaths, her chest heaving.

After pretending to read for another moment, she heard approaching footsteps, soft in the grass.

She forced her eyes to stay on her book, as if she hadn't heard him coming.

But come he did and Hermione looked up when his foot nudged her toe.

"Hello," she said quietly and in reply, he said, "Mind if I join you?"

She shrugged though her insides were screaming and she sighed when he reached the grass.

They sat in silence for a while, but Draco broke it. "What are you reading," he said, and Hermione turned to smile at him.

"It's called _Out of the Dust," _she said. "I must've read it a 50 times, but I love it more each time."

She made herself stop there, because she didn't think it would be very sexy if she started rambling, and looked back at her book.

But a pale, rough hand took the book from her and tossed it softly into the grass.

Draco leaned on his left elbow and faced her, pursing his perfect lips. Hermione mirrored his action, and pulled in her stomach.

"Can you put the book down for a minute, at least?" he asked her, and she almost blushed.

Almost.

"Of course," she said. "Though I don't see why I should. Reading is Sexy, after all."

Draco rolled his eyes, but Hermione knew that had struck home.

But Draco wasn't giving up. He leaned in close to her, and breathed slowly. It was as if he could already tell that she loved his breath and when he came so close to her. Hermione fought back, and blew warm air at his blonde locks, smirking as sensually as she could. He was surprised and pulled back, but Hermione stared into his eyes, determined to keep on.

She smiled and said, "Ready to give in?"

He smirked his signature smirk, which Hermione had never before admitted was very attractive on his aristocratic features. "Never," he said, leaning in until he was so, so close. Then, ever so slowly, he pulled away and shook his head.

Hermione, momentarily disappointed, regained her composure and shook her hair slowly, forcing it to frame her face.

Then she said, "Me neither," and stood up, grabbing her book on her way.

She walked quickly to her shoes and her book-bag. She thrust the book inside, flustered, and slung her shoes over her shoulder. Then she sauntered away, swinging her hips like always, and pretending to be care free.

When Hermione was out of sight from the Lake, she leaned against a stone wall and took a deep breath.

_I'm falling for him, _she thought. _I can't be falling for him! Stop!_

Yet she couldn't deny that when Draco had been so close to her, she had desperately wanted to close the distance between them. The only thing that had stopped her was the fact that that would probably mean losing. She knew that she _had to succeed. _

Hermione sprinted up the marble staircase and headed straight for Ginny's dorm.

Ginny gave her advice, for hours and hours, and before long, Hermione felt like she was ready again.

She went to bed confident, and fell asleep quickly.

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SO what do you think?????

Please Review: and leave some criticism!!!! 

I want to have something to fix and improve on!

By the way, _Out of the Dust, _by Karen Heese, is one of my favorite _muggle _(wink wink) books of all time, so I chose that for Hermione. It is not my story, just as Harry Potter isn't mine.


	7. A Very Successful Day

Chapter 6:

Ginny had laid it all out for Hermione. She would visit each place on Ginny's list every other week-day, for a week. That meant that Hermione would be returning to the lake on Wednesday, and Friday. Then she would ignore Draco for the weekend. Ginny had said, "Boys always love girls who ignore them," to which Hermione had pointed out she wasn't trying to make Draco love her, just admit she was sexy.

Ginny had rolled her eyes and replied, "Same difference," before winking at Hermione.

Of course, this hit the nail right on the head, and Hermione knew she was caught. All she thought about was Draco, and how attractive he looked, how sweet he actually was, and how good he made Hermione feel, every minute she was with him.

So, on Wednesday, Hermione made her way down to the Lake. She was wearing a strapless green dress, with a white cardigan over it, and black flats. It was one of her favorite outfits so far.

She sat down under her tree again, today intending on staying there. Draco was crossing the lawn towards her, obviously wasting no time in watching her.

He sat with his legs crossed in the grass, and Hermione smiled while keeping her eyes trained on her book.

Then in he spoke, and it made Hermione's heart flutter.

"Let's have a normal conversation, shall we?" he asked. Hermione thought for a moment, then put her book down and faced him.

"OK," she said, keeping it short and simple, and then flicking her hair over her back. Draco caught that small movement, and knew its purpose, but he didn't comment for they were trying to be normal.

"How is Seventh Year, for you?" he asked.

Hermione replied, "Pretty good. More work than usual, though I think it's harder for Ron and Harry than it is for me. I handle it pretty well." She paused and wondered how to go on, before adding, "And you?"

He grinned. "Malfoy's can handle anything thrown their way."

Hermione rolled her eyes, and wanted to add something along the line of: _So joining the Death Eater's was the answer to your problems two years ago?, _but she refrained.

Instead she said, in a flirtatious voice, "Anything, huh?"

He nodded and she had a burst of inspiration.

She leaned forward, and kissed him, just to the right of his lips, barely touching them.

He started to breathe heavily and she could hear his heart pounding, faster than he would've liked it to.

She chuckled, but in a girlish manner, and pulled away. He stayed there, immobilized on the ground, and Hermione took off, after grabbing all her things.

Hermione bounded up the steps happily, and giggled all the way to the Common Room. When she got there she was out of breath and numerous people around the room stared at her, but she plopped down in a chair by the fire and ignored them.

"Round two goes to Hermione," she mumbled, loud enough just for her to hear.

Ginny came down the steps as if on cue, and Hermione told her about what had happened.

Ginny laughed and said, "Hermione, you've got that boy on a string."

Hermione laughed too, but just then Ron came down the stairs, with Harry following anxiously behind.

Ron looked like he was ready to explode.

He sat down on the couch across from Ginny and she eyed him warily, preparing for an outburst.

Then it came.

"Bloody Hell, Ginny! What is it with you and Hermione whispering all the time? I'm sick and tired of it! Whatever you two are talking about, you can tell us!" He gestured towards Harry and Harry practically shrunk back into his chair. "Harry's tired of it, too!"

Harry shook his head. "Don't drag me into this, Ron," he said and Hermione grinned.

"See, Ron? Besides, you don't really want to know what we're talking about. You'd freak out!"

"I am _freaking out!!" _he shouted, and the whole Common Room stared.

He continued anyway. "Don't you talk Hermione! You've let yourself go! What the _hell _are you wearing?"

The Hermione got angry. "Ron Weasley, it is none of your _bloody_ _business_ what I wear, or what I talk about and you need to back off! You're being ridiculous, and I'm tired of your _crap!"_

She stormed off, tears gathering in her eyes, and she hoped that everyone would leave her alone.

She knew why Ron was so angry. He and Hermione had tried to be together after the war ended, but all they had in common was that they loved to argue with each other and that wasn't enough. Now, Hermione was focused completely on something, or rather someone else, and Ron felt as if he was left in the dust. Hermione knew that if he found out she was fooling around with Draco, his irritation would only double.

That would not be good, for Gryffindor Tower was already abuzz with gossip.

Hermione threw her door closed, and flung herself onto her pillows, her tears staring to cease. She looked into the mirror by Lavender's bed, and noticed the black mascara cascading down her face. She found it ironic that not long ago she was so happy about destroying Draco on the school grounds and that now she was lying pitifully on her bed, wishing Ron could be normal for once in his life

After that she quickly fell asleep, and woke up, her stomach rumbling. She looked at the clock, and realized she missed dinner. Her room mates were all asleep, and someone was snoring quietly.

Hermione's stomach growled again, and she realized she was starving.

She grabbed her wand from her bedside table and headed out the door, hoping she could find her way to the kitchens, in the dark, and not get caught.

After descending stair after stair, Hermione stood outside of the Kitchens, and tickled the pear in the tapestry. He giggled and the tapestry swung open, revealing the sound of clinking glass ware, and the smell of leftover pie.

She made her way inside, and approached a house elf, whose back was turned in her direction.

She cleared her throat and he bowed, his long nose barely touching the ground. "What can I do for you, Miss?" he asked her, and Hermione frowned.

"Please," she said, "Don't bow."

He nodded and caught himself on the way to the floor, before asking her what she needed.

"Could I have a sandwich?" she asked him, sheepishly. "I missed dinner."

He nodded and led her along.

"Of course. You can join Mr. Malfoy at the table."

Hermione froze and tried to turn back, but the elf grabbed her arm and led her on.

_Shit. _

Thinking quickly, Hermione siphoned her runny makeup off her face, and ran a hand through her hair. She pulled on her wrinkled dress, and tried to remain calm. But she knew this wasn't going to help her cause, showing up in the kitchen at midnight, wearing a dress she'd worn all day, and her stomach rumbling with each step she took.

She sighed when she saw the table, but Draco looked up from his tea, and smirked.

Hermione rolled her eyes, and moved to sit down across from him, as the elf pulled out her chair.

"Stalking me, are you?" Draco said smartly, and Hermione sneered.

"_No," _she said, acting unflustered, and pouring herself some tea. "I fell asleep right after… right after I came in from outside." Seeing an opportunity, she winked at him.

He looked taken aback for a moment, then regained his composure and said, "I see. I tired you out, didn't I?"

Hermione laughed.

"No, the credit for that goes to Ron."

Draco's mouth fell open into a perfect 'O' and Hermione laughed.

"Oh, not like that!" she said, adding sugar to her tea and stirring. "He was just being ridiculous, as usual. _What are you wearing Hermione?! Ginny, bloody hell, stop whispering! _And _Harry, back me up mate!" _Hermione mocked him and Draco stared at her for a moment,before laughing.

"Well, well, well," he said, smiling at her. "I always thought that you and Weasley would end up marrying each other, but it sure doesn't sound like it now."

Hermione sighed. "No, that would never happen. All we can do is fight, and we're completely different people. I just wish he would be my friend instead of beleaguering me all the time."

They sat in awkward silence for a moment, but they were saved buy the house elf, who brought a plate of sandwiches to their table.

Hermione reached for a sandwich, as did Draco and their fingers momentarily brushed. He looked at her and asked, "Do you mind if I have one?"

Without breaking eye contact, Hermione nodded and grabbed a sandwich.

She took small bites in order to keep her dignity, and she laughed when Draco dropped mustard on his lap.

"Ah, hell," he said, and he cleaned it off with a flick of Hermione's wand, which he grabbed from the table.

Hermione smiled to herself, took a sip of her tea, and quickly finished her sandwich. She had just realized she hadn't done any of her homework, and even though she was focused on her games with Draco, she wasn't falling behind with school work.

She stood up, and Draco said, "Where are you going?"

Hermione grinned, her heart pounding as she realized how cute he was when he acted like a lost puppy.

"I have to go," she said. "Haven't gotten any work done all day, and I'd liked to sleep some more eventually. See you tomorrow."

She walked away, her heart still beating much too fast, and heard him barely reply, "See you tomorrow, Hermione."

After that she worked on her potions essay until two, then went back to sleep.

All in all, excluding her fight with Ron, it had been a very successful day.

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WOOHOO!! 2 Chapters in one day!! It's been a successful day for me too!!

Please Review!!

Did you love it? Hate it? Was Draco out of character? Did I misspell something? Let me know!!!


	8. Unbroken Eye Contact

Draco walked out the huge double doors to the grounds, and made his way to Hermione's tree. It was Friday afternoon, and he hadn't spoken to her since their late night conversation on Wednesday.

Draco knew exactly where he could find Hermione each week, thanks to the Little Weasel. She had slipped him a parchment with a list of places Hermione would be visiting, and the dates on which he could find her there. This had happened last Monday at lunch. He had smirked to himself, and thought _Hermione can't handle this on her own, can she? _But then Blaise had caught sight of his expression and he'd had to high tail his way out of The Great Hall to avoid questioning.

It didn't always pay off to have cronies.

Draco paused about 50 meters from Hermione. From here, he could see that she was wearing a short, strapless, green dress and silver shoes. Her hair was blowing slightly in the wind and his breath caught. He couldn't deny any longer why he came to see her every other week-day. He liked her, except, more than that. He was infatuated with her.

The old Draco would never have admitted such a thing, not even to himself. _Mudblood, _the old Draco would have scoffed. But Draco had changed since the war, and he noticed that Hermione was one of the only people at Hogwarts who believed it like he did. Perhaps, that was some of the appeal.

But as Draco drew closer to her, and saw her deep brown eyes shimmering in the sunlight, her full, pink lips taunting him and her chest slowly rising and falling, he knew that most of his attraction was from her appeal to him. She made him want to tear her clothes off, right then and there, and make her scream his name.

But instead, he approached her lamely, and sat down next to her. They said nothing, and it seemed as if, they had to give each other time after each encounter to come back to the surface, and rethink the situation. Draco hadn't thought at all about what he was going to do since before Wednesday night, and so he couldn't speech.

He was speechless next to her on the soft grass.

After 3 tedious minutes, (in which Draco actually counted the time in his head), Draco knew he had to do something. Slowly, and carefully, he reached out a thin, pale hand, and played with Hermione's fingers on her left hand, for she held her book in her right. He saw her face light up with a smile, and noticed that it reached her eyes.

He struggled to breath, for he'd never found her more beautiful.

_Shit, _he thought. _I'm really falling for her. _

They sat like that for an hour, without sharing a word between them: Draco fooled with Hermione's fingers while she read, though he could tell that Hermione wasn't really focusing on her book.

The sun began to fall in the sky, for Draco had lost track of time, and shadows began to fade on the grass.

Hermione looked up from her book, and stared at him. He held her gaze, and with each second that passed, his desire to blush and turn away grew and grew. He resisted.

Then, after another tedious minute of unbroken eye contact, Draco realized that Hermione's face was closer to his than before, and that her posture had moved towards him. He knew he was on the brink of admitting defeat, but remembered that defeat would come to him when he murmured the words, _Reading is Sexy. _

So he leaned closer. Hermione's eyes fluttered close, and she moved forward slightly again.

Draco couldn't take it any longer, and was about to kiss her (for he could taste her breath and smell her perfume on him already,) when someone pulled Hermione away.

It was Ginny Weasley.

Hermione looked stunned for a moment, and then gave Ginny a look that said, _What the bloody hell are you doing here?_

Ginny replied by saying, "I need help with my transfiguration home work."

Then she pulled Hermione off the ground, put a deaf ear to her complaints, grabbed Hermione's bag and tugged her away.

Draco frowned, still leaning forward as if to the lips that had escaped him, and then he realized Ginny had probably planned it all.

He hit an angry fist at the ground, and shouted "_Damn it, Weasley_!" A first year looked up from a piece of parchment across the lawn, but Draco was too exhausted to retaliate.

He flopped onto his back in the grass, and continued to ram him fists into the ground. _I was so bloody_ close!, he thought to himself and then he regained his composure.

Sure, the Weasley had ruined the moment, but Draco knew there would be more, and so, like a soldier wounded in battle, he made his way back to the Castle.

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So what'd you think?

I know this is the shortest chapter so far, but a lot happened anyway, so I like it….

And I hope you do too!! (Though, I won't know if you did unless you review it so….

REVIEW!!

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	9. Why Don't You Show Me

Reading is Sexy: Chapter 8

**Note: I edited Ginny's list of Sexy Places, and deleted The Library from it. It's not really necessary for me to tell the story from there because that's where it all began. Plus, I'm really anxious to get to this one part of the story as quickly as possible, because it just makes me smile with excitement when I think about it. So, if you read Chapter 5 before it was changed, you know now not to expect more of the library. **

**Hope you like the chapter… **

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Hermione struggled against Ginny's strong grip, but to no avail. Ginny was strong and Hermione had always been, well, weak in comparison. She was, however, extremely angry.

She let Ginny take her where she wanted, and then she exploded.

"_Ginny! What in the _hell _where you thinking? Are you blind?! We were about to kiss and you took me away! What is wrong with you?"_

Ginny just gave Hermione a cool expression.

"Hermione, I'm a genius. You just don't understand why. You see, since I took you away, it will be all Draco can think about. He'll wonder if it actually _almost happened, _and it'll drive him crazy. He'll be pining over you until Monday, when you move to the Quidittch Pitch. Just you wait and see."

Hermione shook her head, but realized that Ginny was actually pretty smart, though she'd never admit it.

She sighed. "It's just that, I've only kissed your brother before, and I want something different. I want…" she paused with embarrassment and indiscretion before Ginny finished with, "Him."

Hermione nodded, and felt a smile spread over her face. She could no longer deny to herself that Draco drove her insane, but in a different way than he used to. Before, she'd wanted to murder him, but now, she wanted to snog him senseless. Just the thought sent her heart pounding wildly.

This didn't escape Ginny's notice. She smirked to herself, but Hermione ignored it.

Instead, she said, "I'm sorry I freaked out at you Gin. I know you're just trying to help… and you are: In a backwards kind of way."

Ginny laughed and hugged Hermione, before tugging her up the stairs, this time with little force.

When they reached the dormitory, Ginny continued to pull Hermione up stairs, and ending up leading her to Hermione's room. She sorted through Hermione's know full trunk of clothing, and showed Hermione what she thought was appropriate for The Quidittch Pitch on Monday. Hermione only nodded with commitment, because her mind was far away.

She was replaying what had happened with Draco earlier in her mind, trying to remember exactly how he had leaned towards her, and what he had smelled like, and what she had been feeling. After she had gone over that a thousand or more times, she focused on what it would feel like next time, when their lips would actually touch. Her imagination took her far away.

So Ginny, sensing that Hermione wasn't really paying attention to her speech, shrugged and left the room. Hermione sighed happily, for the thing she wanted most at that moment, besides to kiss Draco, was to fall asleep and dream.

She knew she would dream of him.

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Hermione awoke early on Monday morning, stretching her arms high above her head. She was very excited for that afternoon, when she would take the long walk up to the Quidittch pitch as efficiently as possible in her heels, the ones Ginny had picked out for her on the Friday before.

She slipped into her tight, dark blue jeans, a pair she loved for their unique white stitching, and a thick green sweater. She hoped the weather would be cool that day, for she refused to not wear the sweater. It was her favorite thing she had bought, for it showed off what little chest she had, and made her _feel sexy. _ She knew she had to feel sexy to be sexy.

After magically straightening her hair, she put on her make-up, more carefully than she ever had before, and strapped on her heels. After brushing her teeth, she made her way up to Ginny's dorm, where she shook the red head awake.

"What?" Ginny said loudly, sitting up too quickly on her bed. Hermione laughed but said nothing. Instead she gestured towards her unique outfit, and waited for Ginny to remember all that they had planned.

"Reading is Sexy, Hermione, and so are you, so can I please get back to sleep?"

She lay back down onto her pillows and began to snore, which Hermione took as her cue to leave.

She made her way back to her dorm, where she finished an essay from the night before, and put on some perfume Harry had given her for her seventeenth birthday.

After one last look in the mirror, she headed out her dorm and into the day.

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The day passed quickly. Before she knew it, she was traipsing up to the Quidittch Pitch, stumbling in her heels. She was angry at Ginny for making her wear them and was thinking to herself, _Calm down Hermione, anger isn't attractive, _when she saw someone not far ahead from her.

It was _him. _

His blonde hair was shimmering slightly in the sunlight, and she swore she could see his silver eyes, even this far away. They drew her to him.

She stopped not two meters away from him, and put a hand on her hip, trying not to breathe so heavily.

He smiled at her, and she smiled back, but he was the first one to break the silence.

"Miss me?" he asked her, still smiling.

She only winked at him for an answer, and she was that it worked. He was trying hard to comprehend.

She continued on her way, hoping he would follow, and that he was paying attention to the swaying of her hips. Ginny had taught her how.

He followed, and she nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt an arm snake its way around her waist, before pulling her against a toned chest. Hermione stopped breathing for a moment.

Draco was carrying her bride-style up the mountain, as if they were on their honeymoon. It made Hermione so happy, for as a teenager, she had always loved watching romantic movies when she came home for the holidays. She had seen this particular situation many times before.

But she knew she mustn't show his affect on her, so she made herself breathe again, and tried to act normal.

She could practically see him smirking though she wasn't looking at his face, but at the ground before him.

Before long, they reached the short, paved path leading up to the Pitch, and Draco put her down.

"You're a maniac," he said, "trying to walk that far in those heels."

Hermione blushed and looked down at her feet. Draco handed her bag to her, and she realized she hadn't even noticed him grab it, for she'd been so engrossed in the way he had been carrying her.

"Thank you," she said, in a very businesslike manner, before she made her way towards the field. She laid down right in the middle of it, and mentally thanked Ginny for choosing a week in which no practices were being held.

Draco, of course, followed her.

He sat down beside her as she opened her book, and began to play with her hand again.

Hermione couldn't help but sigh in content as he fiddled with her forefinger, and she heard Draco chuckle quietly.

After about an hour passed, Hermione knew she had to say something.

"How do you know where to find me each day?" she asked him, for she really was curious. This was one part of the plan Ginny had told her not to worry about.

"I have my ways," he replied, after a moment of quiet thought.

Hermione snorted as femininely as possible, and felt Draco pull his hand away. She frowned, but then he was looming over her, quick as a flash. The sun disappeared from her view and she put her book down, waiting with a pounding heart.

"Where were we," Draco asked her, "before your sixth year friend rudely interrupted us last week?"

Hermione's heart stopped pounding for a moment, but she knew she had to reply. "Why don't you show me?" she said, and then, way too slowly for Hermione likes, he brought his lips, softly to hers.

Hermione responded, perhaps a little too intensely for their first kiss, but Draco ignored her and put a hand on her cheek. Their breath mingled for a few moments, which felt like an eternity to Hermione, before he pulled away, and she found that her eyes had closed.

No one spoke, and when Hermione opened her eyes, he was gone.


	10. Her Heart

Reading is Sexy: Chapter 9

**Note: Oh… My… Dumbledore!! 93 REVIEWS!! WOOHOO!! A million thanks to all who have reviewed or added my story to alerts and favorites lists. I hope you continue to enjoy me story, no matter what bumps I throw in the road…. Wink wink…**

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Hermione walked back to Hogwarts in a daze. She couldn't believe it had actually happened. Draco had closed the distance between them, and left her feeling whole. It had been a million times better than she could have possibly imagined, and although she was a little upset that he hadn't stuck around, she found it terribly romantic.

He had just walked away, leaving her wanting more.

_Damn him, _she thought, though without much commitment.

She honestly couldn't even fathom a reason why should would want to say that now, for she was too infatuated and filled with wonder, when it came to Draco Malfoy. He was confusing and moody and sometimes, as she had seen before this year, downright unpleasant. She didn't care anymore.

Besides, all males were like that.

She giggled quietly to herself and her jubilance increased with every step she took. By the time she reached the Common Room, she was laughing hysterically, and Ginny, who was sitting in an arm chair by the fire, grew instantly suspicious.

When Hermione saw Ginny, she decided to be very secretive, for she knew Ginny was waiting for her to tell-all.

"Hello," Hermione said. "Lovely weather we're having, isn't it?"

Hermione giggled and tried to cover it up, as Ginny raised an eyebrow.

Then, since there was no one else in the Common Room, and she couldn't hold it in any longer, she burst.

"WOOHOO!" she screamed. Then she ran around the room twirling her arms, in what the muggles might call 'a happy dance'.

Ginny burst out laughing as well, as Hermione shouted, "I kissed _Draco Malfoy! I kissed DRACO MALFOY!"_

By this point, Ginny was rolling on the floor laughing at Hermione's antics, as she was still dancing, and Hermione didn't think she could possibly stop.

Something, though, made her.

Someone coughed, and Hermione stopped in the middle of her dance, arms in the air.

Ginny, who hadn't heard the cough, stopped laughing and became still on the floor, and then after a quick look at each other, she and Hermione looked towards the person who had brought them all down.

It was Ron.

He was leaning up against the back of The Fat Lady's portrait and had a look of pure anger on his face.

"Explain," he demanded.

No one said a word, and then Hermione realized she didn't have to.

"No," she said, and then she continued. "I don't have to explain anything to you, Ronald Weasley. It's none of your business, and I'm not going to let you ruin this moment for me." Then she stomped up the stairs, noticing the silence she left behind in her wake.

The last sound she heard before she closed her door was a sob, and she knew it wasn't Ginny.

_Don't let it bother you, _she thought to herself, but she found the only way to possibly do that was to sleep. So once again, she escaped pain with her dreams.

**********************************************************

When Hermione awoke, it was the next day. This day passed slowly, for she had no Draco to look forward to that afternoon. Ginny had forbade her to see him unless absolutely necessary, which included class and The Quidittch Pitch. She fell asleep early again that night, and the last two thoughts she had were about how she hadn't spoken to Ron at all that day, and about Draco.

********************************************************

Hermione woke up on Wednesday happier than she had been in a while, excluding the moment her lips had touched Draco's, and set herself to preparing for the day. She wore a short pink dress, a white cardigan and a pair of sparkly gold flats.

She laughed when she realized she still hadn't worn half of what she bought with Ginny when they went shopping. But she became very serious when she saw that state her hair was in. Hermione set herself to work.

About half an hour later, she was in Potions, her first class of the day, and one she shared with Draco.

Her heart was pounding when she sat down in her chair, which happened to be in front of Draco's on most days, but today was not most days.

He never showed up.

Hermione was nervous all class long. She kept imagining he would show up with a bouquet of flowers and sweep her off her feet with an amazing kiss, but that was just a fantasy. He never came.

By lunch Hermione was distraught. He wasn't at the Slytherin table, or anywhere in the Great Hall. She hadn't passed him on her way to Transfiguration an hour before, which she always did on Wednesdays. And so she sat with her head on the table, thoroughly disappointed and worried.

Ginny, who at that moment was dodging a kiss from Harry, saw Hermione down the table, and said to her, "Hermione, what's wrong."

Hermione just gave her a look, and secretively nodded towards the Slytherin table. Ginny's eyes lit up, and she laughed.

"You're so dramatic, Hermione. He's in the hospital wing. He has a cold. I heard Parkinson whispering about it."

Hermione breathed with relief, then asked Ginny, "Does that mean I get a day off?"

Ginny laughed, nodded her head and said, "As if you really want one," before winking.

So Hermione went to bed early once again.

****************************************************************

Hermione didn't see Draco on Thursday, but on Friday, when she saw him at lunch, she began to mentally prepare herself for The Quidittch Pitch. Today she had purposely chosen clothes that were _sexy, _but easier to climb in, and a pair of cute tennis shoes. She had been very pleased with how she looked when she left her Dorm.

She was just as confident when she reached the Pitch, and so Draco leaning against a stand, waiting for her.

Hermione, though she was tempted to fling herself into his arms, approached him calmly and smiled.

He grinned back at her, and she asked him, "Feeling better?"

He nodded, and then added, "I hope you weren't waiting here for me on Wednesday."

Hermione shook her head to tell him that she hadn't and he chuckled.

"Well," she said, because she had to get down to business, "I must start reading."

She made her way over to the center of the field, and lay down on her stomach, her feet dangling in the air behind her head.

She opened her book to her page, which wasn't much farther than where she had been two weeks before.

Before long, she realized that Draco lying was down on his back beside her, his arm draped over his silver eyes, to protect them from the sun. Hermione sighed, and swore she could see him smirk.

She couldn't take it any longer. Turning herself over, she put her book down and laid her head on his stomach. She felt his chest rise and fall, and heard him sigh.

Now it was her turn to smirk.

Slowly, he took his unused arm, and brought it down to his stomach, before softly stroking her hair. She closed her eyes, and enjoyed the moment, trying to forget everything but him.

Before she knew it, her eyes fluttered open, and she realized it was dark.

Draco had sat up, causing her head to fall into his lap, and he was still stroking her hair. He was staring at, she could tell, and she couldn't stop the smile that lit up her face.

He didn't smile back, but he didn't pull his hand away either and Hermione closed her eyes again.

She had been sleeping so much lately, and was surprised when she found herself in his arms, being carried down the steep hill towards the Hogwarts Grounds. She knew she must've fallen asleep again, and was glad he hadn't left her like last time.

She buried her head in his chest as a cold wind blew in from the east and she swore she felt a rain drop on her hand.

This time, she didn't fall asleep and before she knew it, Draco was lowering her to the ground. They stared at each other for a moment, and then Draco kissed her softly on her forehead. Then he walked away and Hermione felt her heart melt.

Her heart, she found, had been doing that a lot lately.


	11. Caution: Wet Tile

**Author's Note: Heyyy!!! Thank you so much!! There's over 110 Reviews!!!! WOOP WOOP!!! That means alot to me considering the fact that Something More, my other chapter fic, only got like 20 reviews and all my one shots have like... 2.... So you should R/R those!!! Thanks so much and... (Insert smile and evil laugh here)... My favorite chapter is next!!! YESS!!**

On Saturday Morning, Draco awoke intending to lie around doing nothing all day. Lying in his four-poster, he remembered the day before. He had loved every minute of it, he recalled, from lying with her on the pitch, watching her slumber peacefully, and the way she had curled up to him when he carried her back to Hogwarts. He replayed how he had kissed her forehead before they parted ways, and wondered why he hadn't taken more advantage of the situation. She had been looking at him so longingly and he could have easily snogged her senseless, and enjoyed himself a little more.

But he hadn't, and that scared Draco.

Before he had convinced Hermione Granger to flirt shamelessly with him, he had only cared about snogging, and… well, _farther things. _He wondered if Hermione was the kind of girl who believed in sex before marriage, and at first, he thought, _No way. _But the more he thought about it, the more he wondered if she wasn't at all the bookworm she had once been, and might go farther than snogging.

He pushed the idea far from his mind, because he was staring to drool.

"Stupid teenage hormones," he muttered to himself.

He was, after all, a man.

************************************************************

Draco found that sitting around all day was starting to sound like an idiotic idea, for he was bored within a quarter of an hour.

He got up and took a shower, a longer one than usual, and dressed slowly too.

Draco felt like being alone, or at least, alone with _her, _but of course Pansy had other ideas.

When he came down the stair case, she bounded up to him ungracefully, and tried to give him a kiss 'good morning.' He pulled away, and Draco, realizing he was very different from the person he_ once_ was, decided to handle the situation cautiously.

"Pansy, we need to talk."

He led the way over to the black leather couches in front of the empty, charcoal filled fireplace and gestured for her to sit down. Old Draco would have run away, and left Pansy wanting more.

"What is it?" she said, and Draco thought to himself, _She is so clueless, _but he shook all thought from his mind.

He decided to get straight to the point.

"I've never wanted you, Pansy." He saw her face crumple and was sorry, so he decided to be softer. "I want you to find someone else to want, because you deserve to be happy, and I'm not interested." He paused and decided that had been nice enough. "Are we clear?"

Pansy seemed to be on the edge of a break down, but she tried to cover it up, and nodded. Draco walked away, and as he did, he heard her sob, but he knew that to comfort her would be to lead her on, and that was just as unfair.

He made his way out of The Slytherin Common Room, and headed up the long flight of stairs from the dungeon. At his table in the Great Hall, he snuck a look at the Gryffindor table, but Hermione wasn't there.

After breakfast, he went on a walk, feeling lonely.

He knew he was falling for Hermione Granger, and falling fast. But how could she return the feelings? He had tortured her for as long as he'd known her, and he recalled that he had watched his cousin, Bellatrix Lestrange, put a knife at her throat, while he sat there, thinking only of himself.

How could she forgive him? How could she ever love him?

And when he remembered how she had looked at him, with her beautiful, deep brown eyes and her petite nose, he had an inkling of hope.

But realization came to him quickly, and he thought, _That's all part of the act, all part of _Reading is Sexy.

He kept walking dejectedly, and decided that he shouldn't look for her until Monday. She couldn't know.

So he headed back to The Slytherin Common Room, the one room he was sure he wouldn't bump into her in.

********************************************************

Monday came quickly, as if taunting him. He was nervous that Hermione would be able to tell, that she would realize how she affected him.

But he went to the Prefect's Bathroom anyway, and on his way there, a thought flew into his head.

_What will she be wearing? _He thought. _It is, after all, a bathroom. _

So for the rest of his walk up to the Prefects Bathroom, Draco's mind ran wild with the thought of seeing her clad in what would probably be more revealing than anything he'd seen her in before.

He took deep, deep breaths before whispering the password to the bathroom door, and entering inconspicuously. He heard the sound of a bath running, and a he shivered, all of the sudden feeling very confident.

He strode into the bathroom arrogantly, and saw her.

The tub was almost full to the brim and the water shone with bubbles covering the surface.

He glimpsed Hermione's back, hoping she hadn't heard him enter, and felt disappointed when he saw thick straps tying together at her back, which must have been accompanied with a one-piece bather. He told himself to get in anyway, and stripped down to his underwear, tossing his clothes nonchalantly away from him.

Another look at Hermione showed him that her book was levitating above the water and she had her head resting against the edge of the tub. She reached to turn off the tap, and Draco slipped on the wet tile, yelling in surprise and hitting his head on the floor.

"Bloody hell," he murmured and Hermione turned to look at him. Brown stared into silver, and Draco, mesmerized, lifted himself off the floor with as much dignity as possible.

Hermione laughed and said, "Caution. Wet Tile," She smirked, and tunred back around, and it sent more shivers down Draco's spine. He made his way over to the tub and lowered himself into the water. Hermione turned to look at him and, surprisingly, she didn't look away. Draco stared back.

Something had changed between them, and things were a little awkward.

Hermione turned back to her book, and Draco took that moment to happily stare at her form in the bubbles, feeling things ignite in him that he'd never felt before.

Draco knew he had to do something, so, tentatively, he stuck his foot out farther into the pool, and touched her toes with his. He heard her gasp and he smirked in triumph, so he continued to rub his foot against hers and saw her shiver.

_Maybe there is hope, _he thought, but he made that idea disappear so as not to hurt himself even more in the future.

No words were exchanged over the course of an hour, in which Draco and Hermione played footsie under the water, yet Draco felt peaceful in her presence.

Soon, Draco closed his eyes and rested his head against the tub, and when he opened his eyes again, about a minute later, she was walking away, a towel wrapped around her shoulders. Draco shivered again.

He'd been so wrapped up in his thoughts, thinking about her, that he hadn't heard the water break when she got out of the tub, and realized 10 minutes later, that the tub was empty. Hermione had pulled out the plug without him noticing.

He found it symbolic, in a way, because he felt like his mind was being drained, to make room for her: To make room for Hermione.


	12. More Than This

On Wednesday night, Hermione walked back to the Common Room disappointed with her escapade in the Prefect's Bathroom earlier. Just like on Monday, she and Draco hadn't talked but played footsie the whole time, which to be honest, Hermione found pretty lame.

She was sure Draco could at least take their relationship to the next level.

Of course, being Hermione Granger, she wasn't one to give herself away early, and fully intended to be married before she lost her virginity. By _The Next Level, _she just meant she wished they could forget about Reading is Sexy, and become a couple, or something of the sorts.

And kiss… once or twice more.

She was so falling for him, and she didn't even mind to admit it to herself, any time of the day. She felt so beautiful around him, because she knew he liked her in that way, and wanted what she wanted: For them to be together.

As she climbed in bed that night, she thought to herself, _On Friday, I won't let him just play footsie with me. I'm going to show him._

***************************************************************

Thursday passed much too slowly, which was no surprise to Hermione, and on Friday morning she awoke with the feeling that something was going to happen, and convinced herself it would be for the best.

Even as the Brightest Witch of her age, sometimes, Hermione didn't know what was coming for her.

At Eleven o'clock on Friday night, Hermione made her way to the Prefects Bathroom, wearing her swimsuit under a short, black dress with a deep blue head band holding back her hair.

Ginny had specifically invented this night for Hermione's swimsuit, she had told her, and Hermione had wondered at Ginny's logic when Ginny told her she would be going to see Draco at Eleven, instead of early in the afternoon as she had been before.

But she'd brushed it off because she so wanted tonight to be perfect and could feel life rushing towards her.

Hermione cast a levitation spell on her book and sent it to levitate above the bath. Then she turned she turned towards a mirror on the opposite wall. Hermione pulled her dress over her head, and inspected the Water Proof mascara Ginny had given her on Monday. She decided to take off her head band and left it on the sink. She hummed to herself and she looked at her body in the mirror. The Swimsuit she was wearing was green, no surprise there thanks to Ginny, and Hermione realized now it was very skimpy. She pulled her top down a little to try to cover more of her skin, but to no avail. She sighed, but decided it was for the best.

Tonight _would be for the best. _She took one last look in the mirror, and turned around. There was Draco, leaning against a pillar, and looking like a Greek God in his form fitting gray sweatshirt and dark jeans. His silver and green tie hung loose around his neck, and Hermione blushed as she saw him look her up and down, watching his eyes pop. She recovered and remembered her mission.

"Hey," she said, and his eyes snapped up to hers and Hermione realized he had been looking at her chest. "What are you staring at?" she asked him, winking, and she walked over to the tub, and sat on the ledge.

He just opened and closed his mouth like a fish out of water, and Hermione kept telling herself, _Reading is Sexy, Reading is Sexy, _over and over in her head.

"Why don't you join me?" she asked him, and then without hesitation, she swiveled around on her butt and slid into the water.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. _Perfect, _she thought, and then she heard Draco splash into the water beside her.

This time, without hesitation, he slid up right next to her and whispered in her ear, "Did you miss me?"

Hermione turned to look at him, for he'd pulled his face away, and smiled tauntingly. "Well, I didn't miss your feet, if that's what you mean."

He froze for a moment and Hermione thought she had the upper hand but he surprised her.

"I missed yours," he said, and Hermione froze. Of all the things he could have said he chose that one, and surprisingly, it had the most affect on her.

Before she could recover, Draco asked her, "What are we Hermione?" He stared at her for a moment, before continuing and saying, "More importantly, what do you want to be?"

This time, she was the one gasping like a fish out of water, but Hermione wasn't going to give up. She said to him, "I want to be more than this."

She gestured towards the distance between them, which she didn't realize wasn't very much, and then everything happened so fast.

Before either of them knew it, Draco's mouth was on Hermione's and their hot breath mingled. They kissed slowly and savored the taste of each other, while her hands flew to his head to tangle in his hair and his hands did the same, bunching her hair in his fists. Hermione's heart pounded and she forgot herself. She pulled Draco closer to her, and the water began to wave as the bubbles were crushed between them.

Draco wanted more. Hermione felt his tongue push against her lips and allowed it. Their tongues danced in repeating patterns, and Draco groaned. He pulled his lips away from her mouth, much to her displeasure, but soon she was content again as he nuzzled her collar bone and pressed his chest against hers.

Hermione, though entranced at first by the way Draco kissed her neck, forced his lips back up to hers.

Coherent thought came to her when she felt Draco grip her waist. He wasn't slowing down.

He hitched her leg around his hip and bunched the thin fabric of the swimsuit on her hips in his hand. At this, Hermione began to slow down, but Draco didn't notice. His hands fluttered towards her upper back, and she felt him tug slightly at the string that rested there.

"Stop," she tried to say but her words were muffled between kisses and Draco didn't stop.

Hermione pushed him away with her palms and the absence of his body close to hers made her shiver, but she felt sick. He stared at her, both of them breathing heavily, and Hermione closed her eyes, while shaking her head back and forth.

"I'm Hermione, I'm Hermione, I'm Hermione Granger," she muttered.

Then Draco seemed to realize what he had done and tried to touch her, to smooth away the wet hair on her forehead, to comfort her, but she flinched, and in a matter of milliseconds, she was out of the tub.

She yanked her dress off the tile floor, pulled it over her head, not caring if it was inside out, and forgot about her book and her headband. She ran out of the bathroom and heard Malfoy behind her. She ran for the nearest staircase and begged for him to leave her alone but he shouted her name. "Hermione!"

She turned around and saw that he had pulled on his jeans as he ran out the door. His hair was wet too, he was breathing hard and he looked distraught, but she felt no pity for him.

"What?" she spat at him, even though she knew it was partially her fault too. He considered for a moment, and then said, "I'm sorry."

It sounded genuine but Hermione didn't care.

"That does _not fix what happened!" _She yelled at him. "What did you think I was going to do? Have _sex with you?"_

He had no reply to that but tried to approach her, and Hermione wasn't going to have it. She thought of the worst possible thing she could say and there was no going back.

"To think I trusted a _Death Eater_ with my body," she said, and then she ran from him, sobbing.

Draco stood motionless on the staircase, and he felt his heart shatter.

He stared down at the Dark Mark on his arm, and fell to his knees. He'd lost his chance.

He'd lost his chance at anything, the moment he'd been chosen.

And then he was sobbing too, while Peeves, who hung above, was silent for the first time in his long existence.


	13. Falling Away

**A/N: .I'm not too thrilled with the chapter before this one, because it was supposed to be the best one and it's not. HOWEVER, im hoping that this chapter and the next and the finale, which i already have planned, will make up for it. :)**

**Please Read and Review!! We already have like 130 reviews!! Im hoping when the story is finished that there will be 200 or more, but thats up to you guys... **

**Hope you like the chapter. **

Reading is Sexy: Chapter 12:

Hermione threw her dress and wet swimsuit onto the floor, tears still streaming down her face. She pulled an old pair of sweats and a baggy sweatshirt on, and padded her way to the bathroom.

She washed all the make-up off her face and using her wand, she un-straightened her hair. It stuck up from her head at all angles and her hand could not pass through without tearing it.

Still sobbing, Hermione flung herself onto her bed, and was very grateful that the room was unoccupied accept by her. Her roommates liked to party on Friday nights.

Shivering, Hermione pulled the covers up to her chin and stared down at her finger nails.

Without hesitation, she began to rip each and every one off, starting with her left hand. She gasped as the sealant tore at her real nail and her hands ached, but she kept going.

She lay on her bed gasping, wishing her mother was there to comfort her, and wishing she could send Harry and Ron to kill Draco. But that wasn't going to happen.

She wasn't even sure that was what she wanted, but she knew Draco had hurt her.

_What had she been thinking? _She asked herself with a sob. _I was completely leading him on, and he took the opportunity. _

After what felt like several hours passed, Hermione heard the door open, and expecting Lavender or Parvarti, she buried her head in her pillow and tried to stop crying.

But she glanced up and saw long, red hair and stopped trying to muffle her tears. She let them come.

"Hermione?" she heard Ginny say, and she let out a pitiful cry. Ginny approached her bed and gasped as she saw Hermione's fake nails littered on the bed spread and her wet clothes on the floor. She touched Hermione's messy hair softly and sighed.

"Bloody hell, Hermione. What happened?"

Hermione tried to speak, but the words just caught in her throat. Ginny patted her back and waited for her to speak.

"We were in the hot tub, and we started kissing," she said. Ginny remained silent, but Hermione knew she saw where this was headed. "I guess I… I lost myself, I forgot about all my values. It got really intense but I didn't realize until he pulled my leg around his hip and… and… and he tried to untie-"

She broke as Ginny shook her head, and said, "Tell me you didn't Hermione. Please…"

Hermione shook her head.

"No, but we were close."

"How did you get away?"

"I pushed him away from me," Hermione said. "But he didn't get angry. He actually looked sorry and scared that he'd hurt me. Then I ran from him… and he followed me into the hall… and asked me to stop. He said he was sorry."

"Well," Ginny said. "Didn't that fix things?"

Hermione shook her head. "I was so angry. I… I told him that wasn't enough. And I… I called him a Death Eater." Ginny closed her eyes, in agony for Hermione's mistake. "He'll never speak to me again… and, and I don't want him to. I _hate him."_

"You don't hate him Hermione. I think you love him."

Hermione shook her head and pushed Ginny away. "Never," she said, her eyes wide. "He changed me. I've never been sexy, and ever since I convinced myself I was, Ron has hated me, and I don't talk to my best friends and everyone whispers about me. I'm not myself anymore, so I quit. I'm going to live like I should. Alone."

She turned herself around and sobbed into her pillow, and when Ginny tried to rub her back, she screamed at her. "Get out, Ginny! This is half your fault! Get the _bloody hell _away from me."

She pushed Ginny onto the floor and saw tears come to her eyes. Hermione instantly was sorry, and tried to tell Ginny, but she ran out of the room, and left Hermione to cry herself to sleep.

Hermione had never been more upset in her life, but what she didn't realize was that it was because Ginny was right. She loved Draco Malfoy, and he had ruined it. She'd lost what she'd been looking for.

*************************************************************

That night, it snowed. When Hermione awoke in the morning, she saw a thick layer of snow on the grounds, and ice beginning to form on the lake. She shivered and putting a hand to her forehead, she realized that she had a fever.

She pulled the covers up as far as she could, and fell back to sleep.

When she awoke, it was night and it was snowing again. Hermione went to the bathroom, and after using the toilet, she stared in the mirror above the sink.

Her mascara, eye shadow, lipstick and other make-up littered the counter, and she saw Lavenders on another sink. She huffed and gathered all of her make-up into her arms, before dumping it into the rubbish bin. She felt tears prick in her eyes once again, and knew she had to get back into bed. She still had a fever, but there was no way in hell she was going to see Madame Pomfrey.

That night, the lake froze over.

And then another day passed.

It was around eleven on Sunday night, when Hermione decided to go for a walk, disregarding the goose bumps on her arms and the sickly feeling in the back of her throat.

She pulled on an old pair of jeans and layered sweater after sweater on top of each other. She put on her old snow boots, the ones she'd had since third year, and hoped her feet would be warm.

Hermione found herself on the Hogwarts Grounds, without a clue of how long it took her to get there. She walked around the Black Lake, shivering while she watched snow fall from the dark night sky. The moon was half full and Hermione almost made herself say _Half Empty. _She was feeling very apathetic.

The stars seemed dim compared to usual, she noticed.

She wasn't the only one out by the lake, at that exact moment, who felt that way.

Forgetting about how unstable the ice might be, since the lake had only been frozen for about 24 hours, Hermione made her way onto the ice.

She slipped a little, but thanked herself for wearing her best boots, and ended up in the middle of the lake. She sat down on the ice, and drew her name in the loose snow particles coating the surface.

After a few minutes, Hermione noted that her bum was becoming very numb, and so she tried to stand up.

Momentarily disoriented by the cold, she slipped on the ice and landed on her stomach with an 'Oomph.'

In the distance, Hermione heard a crack. Then she became worried.

The ice continued to crackle and she saw lines appearing in the surface. She reached in her coat for her wand, and muttered, "Shit," when she realized she had left it in Gryffindor Tower.

She spanned the ice for an area without cracks and saw her way out.

But not fast enough.

A large crack to Hermione's right split wide open with a sharp noise, and then the ice she was standing on began to tilt.

"No, No!" she screamed, and then she plunged into the water.

Hermione's body screamed in protest. She felt every muscle in her body freeze, and her heavy sweatshirts weighed her down. She tried desperately to pull herself out onto the ice but she couldn't. Hermione screamed and hoped someone would hear her and rescue her.

She ripped off her first few layers of clothing, hoping she would be able to lift herself easier, but she couldn't get the next layer off. Her arms were frozen to her sides.

_I'm dying, _she thought.

_I've fallen from happiness, fallen from myself, and…_

And Hermione, who knew she was dying, didn't feel like she could deny that Ginny was right. She was in love with Draco Malfoy, but she'd never get to tell him.

_I've completely fallen for him. _

_And now I'm falling away. _


	14. Warm and Safe

Reading is Sexy: Chapter 13:

Draco sat in the cold night air, and held his breath, watching her.

He had come down to the Black Lake to get away from Blaise, about two hours ago. He had taken refuge on a bench under an old, gnarled tree, and watched the snow fall. He thought of ways he could fix the situation.

Of course, Hermione _had _hurt him when she called him a Death Eater, but she had been right. How could she trust him after all he'd done in the past? He was tainted.

Draco watched as Hermione paused at the edge of the frozen lake, and gazed across it. Then he saw her, without hesitation, climb onto its slick surface.

She was intelligent, he knew, but she was stupid, so stupid right now. He let out his breath, because he knew she wouldn't see him, but he kept looking at her. He was afraid the ice would crack and she would fall into the cold, cold water.

But when she reached the center of the Lake unscathed, he relaxed a little, closed his eyes, and leaned up against the tree behind his bench.

_I love her, _he thought. _I do and I really cannot deny it. When she rejected me, it hurt more than any physical pain I have ever felt, and when I realized I hurt _her, I_ was in agony. _

He was in agony now, but he didn't really know the meaning of the word, until he heard a scream.

Instantly alert, Draco bounded from his seat on the bench and listened for another sound.

"Not her, not her," he muttered, but as he looked to where Hermione had been moments before, all he saw was a black hole in the ice.

"No," he said, and he ran to the lake. Crossing its vast surface in less than a minute, he found himself at the edge of the crack in the ice.

Hermione, looking eerie in the dark water, was sinking and Draco felt tears prick in his eyes.

"No, No!" he screamed, and he tore off his shirt and his pants, his boots, before diving into the water after her.

The cold hit him, but Draco was so involved with saving her that he hardly noticed.

Using all his strength, he lifted her out of the water and pushed her onto the ice. With all his remaining strength, he pulled himself from the water, and felt the cold air against his skin.

Forgetting completely about himself, something Draco had never done before, he grabbed his wand from his jeans pocket and kneeled down by Hermione.

She wasn't breathing.

"No, NO!" he screamed, again, and then he put his mouth on hers, trying to give her the breath of life. It wasn't working.

"Hermione, you can't leave me. Please, PLEASE!" He blew more air into her lungs and pounded on her chest, and after an agonizing minute of trying to save her, he heard her choke and spit water onto the ice. He kissed her lips softly, hating how cold they were and then he felt her heart speed up against his chest.

"I love you," he told her, even though he knew she wouldn't hear him in her current state. He pulled her limp body against his and savored every heart beat, wondering how in the world he would have gone on if she had died in his arms.

He took his wand and cast a drying charm on her and saw her shiver. Her eyes were still closed though, and he thought that she had probably feinted.

He pulled his jeans and his sweater on, and stuck his wand in his pocket, before picking Hermione up and holding her to him. With each breath he heard her take, he felt more assured that she would live, and so he headed across the ice, being especially careful not to fall through the ice with her in his arms.

He couldn't lose her again.

After walking back through the snow he had cleared on his way to the lake, Draco found himself in the Great Hall and facing a dilemma.

He knew that Hermione was alive, and could feel that she was warming with each second that passed, so Madame Pomfrey probably wouldn't be able to do much else. Plus, he didn't think that Hermione would appreciate losing points for Gryffindor during her last year at Hogwarts, and knew that they'd both be in huge trouble if any teachers knew they had been outside so late, on the ice. He couldn't take her back to Gryffindor tower, because Pothead and Weasel would take her from him, and probably murder him in the process. He wasn't going to let go of Hermione until tomorrow, because he'd come so close to losing her and wouldn't ever _want _to let go again.

He also knew, without a doubt, that he couldn't take her back to the Slytherin Common Room. His roommates would murder them both and Draco had not saved Hermione so she could be murdered by idiots like Crabbe and Blaise.

He stood in the hall debating where to go, and when he felt Hermione shiver, he had an idea.

He climbed seven flights of stairs with Hermione cradled in his arms, and when he finally reached the entrance to his solution, he passed by the Tapestry three times, thinking, _I need a place where I can keep her warm and safe without anyone knowing. _

The Room of Requirement opened to reveal a small room with Green and Red decorations, a bed slightly larger than his in the corner and a fire roaring in the fireplace. He also saw thick blankets piled on a table across from the fire.

Draco crossed the room and lowered Hermione onto the bed. He grabbed five blankets off the couch, and after tucking Hermione into the sheets, he layered them over her. Then he grabbed more and continued to add them to the pile, until he was sure she would be warm.

Draco was extremely tired, but didn't think Hermione would appreciate sleeping in the same bed as him after what had happened on Friday night, especially without asking him, so he asked the room for another bed.

The room, it seemed, refused what its user wanted for the first time since it had been built, and no bed appeared in the room. He asked again, but nothing happened.

"I give up," he muttered and he crawled into the bed beside her, keeping his distance.

Hermione, however, unconsciously gravitated towards him under the pile of blankets, and when Draco saw her shiver, though not too intensely, he couldn't resist.

He wrapped his arms around her, and she curled up right next to him. He felt her body heat and felt flames rise up in his cheeks, but she was not awake to see them. His blush quickly disappeared, even as Hermione pressed herself even farther into his form and Draco hugged her tightly to him.

He looked at her light, brown lashes, not coated with mascara, and her thin, pink lips. She'd never been more beautiful: She was more beautiful now, naturally, than she had ever been with make-up and Draco knew he'd never care about _Sexy _again.

He sighed in content, and kissed her forehead, her eyelids, and finally her lips, before muttering, "I love you."

The last thing he saw before the world disappeared was her smile, which shone like a beacon to him even in her sleep.


	15. Soon

Reading is Sexy: Chapter 14

Hermione woke up, but didn't open her eyes. Her muscles felt slightly sore and she could feel the sweat on her body: it was as if she had run for miles.

Eyes still closed, she stretched her shoulders, her arms, and her legs, all the way down to her toes. She couldn't remember anything from the night before, as her mind was still cloudy from sleep. Smiling to herself, she stretched her arm too far to the right, and felt something, or rather, someone beside her.

Instantly aware, she slowly opened her lids and waited as her eyes adjusted to the white light from the window behind the bed.

Then she jolted.

Hermione fell out of the bed with a crash and putting a hand to her damp forehead, she gasped.

Draco Malfoy. He was in the bed too…

And then realization came crashing down on Hermione and she felt her mind whirl around her with memories. She could feel the cold of the frozen water almost distinctly, and remembered lips on hers, urgent and harsh at first, then caressing and thankful.

_Had that been Draco? _She asked herself.

But she didn't dwell on that long because she remembered something else:

Draco, screaming at her, "Hermione, you can't leave me. Please, PLEASE!"

Then she remembered something else he had said.

"_I love you."_

Hermione pulled her knees up to her chest and leaned her head against them. She took long, deep breaths and tried to contemplate it all.

_I fell through the ice, and Draco rescued me. I was dying and he was desperate to save me. When he did he said…_

She couldn't bring herself to think the words: If it had all been a dream, and he didn't love her, how would she cope?

She loved him, and Hermione knew she wouldn't be able to bear it if it was all a lie, all a dream.

But _was it?_

Shakily, she stood up and ran her hand over the covers on the bed.

She gazed at Draco. His blonde locks were spread over his pillow, and with his eyes closed, his features looked less pointy. He looked more childish than Hermione had ever seen him.

He looked innocent.

Hermione made up her mind. It was better to be happy now, and let herself believe in a dream, than to never believe at all. That was the choice she made, and so she laid herself down next to Draco, the man she loved, and snuggled up close to him.

Hermione lay there for an hour, listening to the slow intake of breath from behind her, and the drumming of _his_ heart.

_Heaven, _she thought.

She tried to close her eyes, and let sleep take her, but after 3 days of sleep, it was near impossible.

She sighed, and Draco, who must've been in the last stages of his sleep, woke up.

She watched apprehensively as he slowly opened his eyes and squinted in the light. She giggled when he yawned and stretched, his hair sticking up at all angles from his head.

Then he turned to her and stared for a moment. She saw him look her up and down, and smiling, he whispered, "Hermione."

"Hi," she said shyly.

For a moment nothing was said or done but then she couldn't take it any longer.

She flung herself at him, wrapping her small arms around his torso.

"Thank you for saving me," she said, blushing as she buried her hea din his chest.

Draco chuckled but Hermione could tell he was a little displeased.

"Thank you?" he questioned her. "What do you think I might have done otherwise? Let you _drown?"_

Hermione looked up at him and shook her head, before putting her head down on his chest again.

She heard him sigh, but then his arms enveloped her and pulled her tight against him.

She smiled to herself, and listened, once again, to the beating of his heart, this time closer to her own.

They lay there for too short a time, before Hermione felt Draco pull her up off his chest.

He looked her in the eye, and for a moment Hermione thought he might say, "_I love you",_ but instead he said, "What does this mean?"

Hermione thought for a moment before asking him, "What do you want it to mean?"

Draco gave her a look that said, _This is my question, so you answer it, _before smiling flirtatiously at her.

Then Hermione decided the game wasn't over yet: she hadn't won.

She slid off the bed and onto her knees, and put her chin on the covers before looking up at Draco through her lashes.

"Well, I think we'll decide when you admit that Reading is Sexy."

She winked at him, and walked slowly out the door, realizing then that she was outside of The Room of Requirement.

She whistled as she walked along the corridor towards Gryffindor Tower, to take a shower and change into some new clothes.

As she pulled off her clothes, which were still slightly damp from her fall the night before, Hermione remembered that she owed an apology to Ginny and that she had to tell her all that happened.

After hopping into the shower, she let the hot water run over her sore muscles and shivered under the new warmth. She meditated on her decision to keep playing with Draco, instead of just telling him that she wanted to be his girlfriend. She decided she had chosen that option because she wasn't sure he loved her, and didn't want to admit it herself.

Although, the fact that she hadn't questioned him after waking up with him, and had listened to his heart so longingly, probably proved just the opposite.

After her shower, Hermione pulled on a pair of jeans she hadn't worn yet, a low cut tank-top, and a silver cardigan. She slipped into her furry boots, the ones muggles called _Uggs, _and applied a small amount of mascara, eyeliner and lipgloss.

Smiling, she made her way down to the Great Hall, and only realized then that ot was lunch and not breakfast.

She decided she wasn't going to fight with anyone anymore.

She sat down between Ginny and Ron, and as they both turned away, she said to them, "Hey guys! I know I've been a female git lately but I'm really sorry, and I hope I can make it up to you this Saturday, in Hogsmeade, We can all hang out."

Ron was the first to turn to her and he said, "I'm sorry too, Hermione. In fact, you didn't even do anything, and it was all my fault. I want you to be happy, and I can see that dressing this way," he gestured towards her mascara and tank-top, "makes you more confident."

Hermione gave him a hug, though she was wondering why he was so quick to forguve and forget.

She shrugged it off and turned to Ginny, who was still looking away.

"Ginny?" she asked.

Ginny slowly turned to her, though she wasn't smiling, and raised an eyebrow.

"Well?" she said, and Hermione could tell she was genuinely angry. "Come to yell at me again, complain that I've changed you? Or maybe tell me it's my fault that Malfoy almost shagged you?"

Hermione flinched, and turned towards Ron, hoping he hadn't heard that, but found he and Harry were deep in conversation. Then she turned back to Ginny and stood her ground.

"_No,"_ she said, tossing her hair over one shoulder. "I want to apologize and thank you, because everything should work out fine now. I'm so happy, _because of you. _You wouldn't let me back down and made me confident, and now I know that Draco and I will be fine. I couldn't possibly be more sorry or more thankful than I am."

Hermione watched as Ginny's composure softened, and smiled, knowing the worst was over.

She hugged Ginny quickly, before realizing her stomach was growling painfully, and helping herself to some toast.

She was vaguely aware of Draco walking into the Great Hall soon after, and smiled when he winked at her.

She looked down at her toast, and knew that soon, Reading would be Sexy.


	16. Reading is Sexy

Chapter 15: (AKA: The Longest Chapter!)

Heyy Heyy!!

So, once again, I edited Chapter 5: Aristocratic Features, so that Ginny's list of Sexy Places is shorter. Astronomy Tower has an omitted from the list.

Just wanted to let you all know before the chapter!

Hope you like it!

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Hermione consulted Ginny's List of Sexy Places: Stairs near a Broom Closet was the next place on the list.

_Well, that's kind of suggestive, _she thought to herself, and then she wondered which stairs she should use.

Anyway, Hermione had forgotten her book that morning with all that had happened, and so before heading to look for stairs, she went up to her dorm to grab her book.

When she entered her room, she saw Ginny sitting on her bed.

"Hey," she said, and Ginny hopped off the bed, and thrust her book at her. Then Ginny turned around and grabbed a tube of mascara off the bedside table, and applied it to Hermione's eyes. Hermione sighed and headed towards the mirror, applying lip gloss.

She turned in front of the mirror and smoothed down her silver shirt, before nodding in consent.

Ginny said, "Go get him."

Hermione made a fist pump in the air and stuck her nose up. Ginny giggled, pushed Hermione out of the room, and said, "Go to the stairs by the west staircase on the fifth floor."

Hermione thanked her, and then made her way to the west wing of the 5th floor.

She knew exactly where to go and when she reached the stairs, she found that Draco was already there. He smiled at her, and she sat down beside him on the steps, crossing her legs and flinging her hair over one shoulder. Draco noticed all of her subtle movements and she heard his heartbeat more distinctively.

She opened her book to a random page, not really caring where, or what she read, and pretended to focus on the contents. Draco wasn't fooled, and to distract her even more, he switched his position on the step until he could easily lay his head in her lap, and stroke her face.

Hermione giggled, and after a few strokes, she stopped his hand at her face and looked down at him. His eyes shone slightly due to the light from the window behind them and she tousled his blonde hair playfully.

Hermione spotted the broom closet to the right of the stairs, and uncontrollably, giggled again.

Draco pulled himself up to face her and she felt him come closer. She could already feel his breath tickle her nose and she sighed as she pulled away.

Draco frowned and Hermione felt the same, but she wouldn't kiss him until he admitted she was sexy.

She left him on the staircase and went back to the Common Room, lying down on the couch and ignoring the people staring at her.

She wanted Draco _so badly, _wanted to be his and for everyone to know, but telling him so before she won would be stupid. She'd worked too hard to lose, and she wasn't going to. She had a plan.

***********************************************************************

On Wednesday morning, Hermione took an especially long bath. She layered lotion on her skin until her shaved legs were spotless, plucked her bushy eyebrows, blew her hair dry with her wand and spent almost an hour perfecting her make-up. She added fake eyelashes on top of her real ones.

She and Ginny had planned her outfit the night before and she was very excited to wear it.

It consisted of a tight fitting green dress, which Ginny had said Draco would love, because of its color, and a pair of tall, silver stilettos. She wore a lace bra underneath, with similar underwear, and a pair of fake-diamond studded earrings.

Hermione stared at herself in the mirror, and thought she had never been more stunning. However, the outfit was a little much for school and she wondered if she could change into it after classes for the staircase. But Ginny walked into the room at that moment, said, "Woah…" and then looked Hermione up and down.

"Bloody Hell, Hermione. Where have you been hiding this goddess?"

She smiled at her, and Hermione smiled back, but she couldn't help but worry about teachers yelling at her.

Ginny seemed to realize what was wrong, and said, "Don't worry. It'll be worth it."

Hermione nodded and was still very nervous about it, that is, until she entered the Great Hall.

Because as she walked down the aisle between the Gryffindor and Slytherin tables, she felt every eye in the Hall on her back: Someone wolf-whistled from The Ravenclaws, she heard a girl from Hufflepuff scoff in jealousy, and she saw Ron's eyes widen in surprise.

But the best of all was when she saw Draco stand up shakily from his seat at the Slytherin Table and stare at her in astonishment. Seizing the opportunity, she forgot completely about everyone else in the Hall, and blew a kiss at him, her fake eyelashes fluttering with her movement. The room went momentarily quiet, and the teachers, stunned by the silence, looked up from their conversations to see what was going on. All they saw was Hermione sitting down, and the stunned faces of the other students staring at her, especially Draco Malfoy's.

Hermione sat down at her seat, and looking anywhere but at _everyone else in the hall_, she quickly poured herself some juice and buttered a piece of toast.

Gradually sound filled the hall, and astonished expressions vanished. Hermione heard Lavender Brown and a few other girls at her table gossip and scoff, but she just ignored them. Nothing, she decided, was going to bring her down today.

***************************************************

Draco sat back down at the Slytherin Table. Blaise eyed him warily, as did Crabbe, and all of his other roommates, but he ignored them. He sat in silence, listening to his heart pound wildly, for at the moment Hermione had walked through the door, Draco had seen the rest of his life pan-out before him.

At that moment, he knew then that he would marry Hermione Granger.

And then, he made up his mind.

He didn't care if Hermione won.

_Reading _was_ Sexy, _and he knew it.

He knew he couldn't go another minute without telling her the truth, and asking her out, before beginning the rest of his life. And he knew exactly how.

He had a Plan.

The only problem was that he had to wait until later in the afternoon. To Draco, that was a bloody long time.

******************************************************************************

After ignoring gazes all day long, while hearing whistles and being subjected to pick up lines, Hermione made her way up to the staircase. She felt in her gut that something good was about to happened, that soon her life would really begin, or at least, spin in a completely new direction.

She reached the stairs and was disappointed to find that Draco wasn't there. She moved slightly back out into the hall, and began to pace along the wall.

She felt a hand grab her arm when she reached the Broom Closet and shouted, "Oh!" while she was pulled inside.

However, a familiar hand covered her mouth and she heard a deep chuckle.

Twirling around, she saw Draco and watched as he leaned back up against the wall.

"Hello," he said, winking at her.

She gulped, momentarily frozen, and shivered under his scrutiny.

Draco chuckled again, before circling around her and ending up in front of her.

He pulled her to him without warning, and slowly at first, they kissed in the dark of the Broom Closet. Soon, though, Draco pushed her against the wall and bit her lip, running his hands down her sides. Hermione, who took this as a failure on her part, turned them around so that _he _was on the wall, and ran her tongue against his lips, while winding her hands into his hair.

She heard him growl and smiled to herself, while deciding to tempt him further.

She forced her tongue into his mouth, and slowly, lifted her knee to wrap her leg around his on the wall. She felt Draco freeze, and then, without warning, and clearly not intentionally, Draco pulled away and said what she'd been waiting for.

"Reading is Sexy," he muttered quietly, eyes still closed, and Hermione pulled away from him.

Realizing his mistake, Draco's eyes flew open and grew wide and then he cursed under his breath.

"What did you just say?" Hermione asked him, and she saw him gulp.

He just shook his head, and muttered, "Nothing," but Hermione wasn't fooled.

"No," she said, raising an eyebrow at him flirtatiously, "I thought I heard you say something that rhymes with Eating is Schmexy."

He smiled at her, admitting defeat and said, "Reading is Sexy." Hermione looked at him, feeling her mind swirl away, leaving her without coherent thought, and then Hermione, having won, captured his lips in hers again.

This kiss was slow and romantic, a kiss Hermione would always remember. Her hands rested on Draco's chest and he wrapped his arms around her waist. They savored each other's heart beats and held each other close, wishing the moment to never end.

Air, however, is essential to life.

So Hermione pulled away, and smiling, she whispered, "Tell me again."

Draco, who understood fully what she meant, played with her by saying, "Tell you what?"

She frowned flirtatiously at him, and he chuckled again, a sound Hermione realized she loved almost as much as Draco himself.

He turned her around so that her back was facing the closet door, and eyes still open, leaned down until his lips were inches from hers. He just couldn't get enough of her kisses.

As Hermione's fake lashes fluttered against his face, Draco whispered, "Reading is Sexy." Then, before kissing her again, he lightly pulled the lashes from her eyes, remembering how beautiful she had looked after he had rescued her.

He pushed her back against the closet door as their lips met, and then they yelled in surprise as the door burst open behind them. They tumbled out of the closet and Draco landed on top of Hermione in the hallway.

After a moment of surprise shared between them, Hermione and Draco laughed, rolling over on the carpeted floor. Hermione ended up on top of Draco and they were kissing once again, when they heard the unmistakable noise of glass hitting the ground.

Looking up, they saw Peeves suspended in the air off to their right, and saw the look of sheer astonishment and mischief on his face.

"Shit," Draco said, for at that moment, Peeves began to fly away, singing for all of the school to hear:

"_**The Ferret, The Gryffindor, they have an affair. The one's with the silver and curly brown hair. They hid it from all of us, sneaky they were. But I, Peeves the Poltergeist, have witnessed it all."**_

Hermione lifted herself off of Draco and helped him up from the floor. He brushed some dust off of his robes, and Hermione fixed her hair, before remembering that the act was up.

He grabbed her hand, and laughing, told her, "Well, at least we won't have to tell your friends."

Hermione laughed but said, "Oh, yeah, I'm sure Ron's going to love hearing it from Peeves."

They smiled at each other as the descended a flight of stairs and headed towards the Great Hall for dinner. They both knew that the moment they arrived, the battle between Draco's Roommates and Hermione's Friends over their relationship would commence, but they were so blissful that they hardly thought about it.

Ron however, brought it back to mind, for as they walked through the double doors, Ron came flying at Hermione, and his eyes widened when he saw her hand entwined with Draco's. Draco squeezed her8 hand and whispered, "I'm here," right before Ron burst.

"How in the bloody hell did this happened?!" he screamed at her.

Ron's face was red, and a vein was pulsing in his forehead, but even Ron's undeniable anger wasn't enough to stop Hermione from saying…

"_**Reading is Sexy."**_


	17. Epilogue: I Love You

Epilogue:

Hermione stood before a white-gilded mirror, and looked at her reflection. Her hair hung naturally, except her curls had been tamed slightly, and she wore a little sparkly hairspray. Her dress was white, traditional: it hung to the floor, a pattern of soft, silver roses cascading down the length of it. Her veil was opaque, and the same pattern of roses could be seen on the edge of it.

Hermione's eyelashes were lightly coated in mascara and she wore a light, pink blush and lipstick. That was all. Draco had requested that she wear little make-up, because it reminded him of the night he realized he loved her.

Hermione took a last look at her reflection, before she heard a knock on the door to her room.

"Come in," she said, turning around to face her visitors. She watched as Harry and Ron walked in, they're eyes popping at the sight of her.

She couldn't help but smile at her best friends, the ones who, especially Ron, didn't understand how she and Draco had come to this point, but supported her happiness.

When she had told them she was going to marry Draco, Harry had immediately congratulated her, but Ron had taken some time to get used to the idea.

"You look beautiful," Harry told her, and Hermione curtsied, to which Harry laughed. Ron continued to look her up and down and Hermione became uncomfortable. She turned back around, and grabbed her small diamond studs, before putting them in her ears.

Then Ron spoke.

"Hermione… Are you sure?"

Hermione turned back around to look at him, but surprisingly, she did not feel her anger rise. Calmly, she said to him, "Ron, I've never been more sure of anything, my entire life. I love him with everything. He _is my world. _I wouldn't trade a single moment with him for a thousand moments of… of all the happiness in the universe. I'm marrying Draco Malfoy, Ron, whether you like it or not, because _I Love Him."_

Instead of turning away like Hermione expected him too, Ron pulled her into a hug. She felt herself surrender to his friendship, and felt tears prick her eyes.

"I'm sorry I've been such an_ arse _all these years, Mione. I want you to be happy."

Hermione smiled and pulled away, wiping a few tears off from under her eyes. She smiled at him, and at that moment, Ginny opened the door.

"Come on," Ginny said. "The ceremony is about to start."

She smiled at Harry, who turned and kissed her. They seemed to forget about the situation and wrapped their arms around each other, pulling each other close.

Ron coughed and Hermione giggled in amusement, to which Ginny and Harry pulled apart.

"Well," Hermione said. "I… have a wedding to…get married in."

She walked out as Ginny rolled her eyes, and Ron gave Harry a glance that said; _Watch what you do with my sister. _Harry just shrugged and smiled at him.

Hermione stopped at the top of the marble staircase. Her wedding was being held at Malfoy Manner, in the back yard. She had always imagined a back yard wedding.

Ginny met her at the top of the stairs: "Are you ready?" she asked her.

Hermione nodded and smiled at her, before adding, "Ginny, I wouldn't be here today if it weren't for you."

Ginny laughed but shook her head. "Yes, you would Hermione. You two were meant to be. Now, it is true that if it weren't for me, Reading might not be Sexy."

They laughed together, and hugged, before Hermione took her first step down the marble staircase.

* * *

As Hermione made her way down the aisle, she felt all eyes on her. She smiled, and looked ahead of her, at Draco. He was smiling too, and he winked. She felt her smile reach her eyes, and blushed. When she reached the front of the aisle, she handed her flowers to Ginny, and turned to her fiancé.

Draco took her hand, and kissed it.

As Hermione gazed in to his eyes, she felt herself relax. She was where she was meant to be.

* * *

As Draco looked into Hermione's eyes, he felt memories flash before him.

A girl in the library, wearing no make-up and reading a tattered old book. A girl struggling up a narrow lane in heels, laden with shopping bags. A girl lying by the lake, the sunlight in her hair. Their first kiss, on the Quidittch pitch, and regretting leaving her side. Then finding her cold and frozen, and thinking he might lose her forever. Watching her sleep, and feeling her close to him. Watching her walk into the Great Hall, and realizing he would marry her. Kissing her passionately in a broom cupboard and watching her handle her best friend's anger.

He saw moments after Hogwarts. Their first date. The first time she whispered, _I love you. _The day he met her parents. And the day she said yes, and he slipped his ring onto her finger.

Looking at her now, he realized this was the happiest day of his life, and all his time on the earth had built up to this moment.

He took her hand and kissed it, wanting to pull her closer to him but resisting for the ceremony.

And then the words swirled around him, and vows were made and he heard her say the words, "I do."

"I do."

"You may now kiss the bride."

They stared at each other for a moment, passion building inside, and then he pulled her close, feeling her lips on his, her hands in his hair and wanting never to let go.

She pulled away, and their foreheads touched, their eyes still closed and he whispered to her, " I _love _you."

They turned to the cheering crowd, and were engulfed by friends and family, wishing the whole time to be only with each other.

* * *

Hermione snuck around the back of Malfoy Manor. No matter how many times she visited house, she could not get used to its size. The grass expanded for what felt like miles and miles from their backyard, and tall trees sent shadows across the lawn.

Hermione and Draco had agreed to sneak away from the festivities and find each other, because they had been longing to all day. Hermione's friends and family, especially her mother, hadn't given her any time to spend with her new husband, and she had been going insane.

As she snuck around a corner of the house she had never seen before, she ran into someone.

She ran into Draco.

For a moment, they were quiet again, wondering how they could finally be so lucky, before Hermione pulled him to her with all she had. They kissed for a time not nearly long enough, the sound of laughter and music in the background. And when they pulled away they longed for more.

Sitting down in the grass beside each other, Hermione put her head on Draco's shoulder and he kissed her forehead.

"We're married now," he whispered.

Hermione smiled and looked up at him, closing her eyes in thought.

"What?" he asked her.

"Nothing," she said but decided it wasn't a good enough answer.

"It's just that… I feel like my life begins now. Everything is about to change, for the good."

Draco kissed her lips softly again, before saying to her, "Hermione Malfoy… Everything changed the moment you opened your mouth and told me, _Reading is Sexy._"

After kissing her passionately once more, he lifted her off the ground and held her in his arms, bride style, just like he had the day she fell asleep at the Quidittch Pitch, a few years ago.

"We'd best be getting back to the festivities, or someone might think we've gone away."

Groaning in exasperation, Hermione told him, "That's a shame. I was going to _really_ prove to you that Reading is Sexy."

He stopped in his tracks and looked down at her in his arms.

He rocked back and forth on his heels and sighed. "Tempting," he said. "Very tempting."

Hermione winked at him. "Don't resist temptation, Mr. Malfoy." She wound her arms around his neck, and pulled her mouth up to his before whispering, "Give in."

He shivered and kissed her chastely, before pulling away again, and walking more quickly now, saying, "All right. We've got to dance a little, eat some cake, greet the adoring fans and then we'll escape."

He put her down on the dance floor, before walking towards the stage, and asking the band to play their song.

Walking back to her, he put his hand in hers and his arm around her waist, pulling her close once more.

The music began and people gathered to watch them dance, but every beat that passed in the music, to them seemed like a thousand years.

After the dance the crowd cheered and clapped and Hermione pulled Draco towards the cake. Hermione was just about to cut Draco a slice, when she heard the chink of silverware on glass. Ginny was knocking a knife against a champagne glass, and she smiled at Draco and Hermione.

"Hello everyone," she said. "I must say that this has been a beautiful wedding and a beautiful day." She gestured to the clear sky above them and blinked in the sunlight. "Draco and Hermione… well, they're too people I never expected to fall in love."

"That's for sure," said Ron, and Hermione stuck her tongue out at him. The crowd laughed.

"Anyway," Ginny continued, smiling at Hermione. "I remember very clearly the day Hermione came to me and said, _I have to prove to Draco that _Reading is Sexy."

A few people in the crowd laughed, though most just looked confused. Hermione put her head on Draco's shoulder, and felt her desire to rush home with him disappear. This was the story of how they fell in love, and as she felt Draco put his arms around her, she realized she wanted the moment to last. He kissed the top of her head and whispered in her ear once again, "I love you."

Ginny continued her story and all was well.

And Reading was Sexy.

Very Sexy.

*****************

Thank you so much for your Support. Please Read and Review. As this is the epilogue, it is the end of the story so please make the most of it. : )

**Update 12th of January, 2010: The phrase/error "Ginny and Ron pulled apart" has been corrected. Thanks to all the reviewers who cared to point it out to me. : )**

**Please Read my new story, A Second Chance, my first Ron/Hermione fic: It _is _a bit boring at the moment, but i have many ideas for later. I think you just might like it as much as Reading is Sexy. (Please Review and tell me if you actually _did _like Reading is Sexy.)**


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